A SON of the US-born al Qaeda cleric Anwar al Awlaki was among seven suspected jihadist militants killed in a trio of apparent US air strikes in Yemen, a member of his tribe said Saturday.
| The heart (urp) bleeds... |
"Abderrahman Anwar al Awlaki was killed in the raid," the tribal source said, adding that he received confirmation from the militant-controlled Yemeni hospital where the dead and wounded from Friday evening's strikes were taken.
Awlaki himself was killed in a US drone strike on Sept. 30, which US President Barack Obama hailed as a "major blow" to al Qaeda worldwide.
US intelligence officials believe Awlaki was linked to a US army major charged with shooting dead 13 people in Fort Hood, Texas, and to a Nigerian student accused of trying to blow up a US airliner on Dec. 25, 2009.
He was also believed to be the leader of external operations of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). |