Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Rumor Is Buzzing: Al Qaeda Commander in Afghanistan Killed In Pakistan


I would call the odds that this is factual at about 25% but I'm usually a skeptic at heart so I am going to keep my fingers crossed, because this would be HUGE news. Let's look at the details of this rumored killing from The Long War Journal:


Unconfirmed reports from Pakistan indicate that Mustafa Abu Yazid, al Qaeda's commander in Afghanistan, has been killed during the heavy fighting in Pakistan's tribal agency of Bajaur.
The report of Yazid's death is based on statements made by an unnamed senior Pakistani security official. Pakistani television claimed Abu Saeed al Masri was killed in fighting in Bajaur. Yazid is also known as Sheikh Saeed and Abu Saeed al Masri (the Egyptian).
But it is unclear if this Abu Saeed al Masri is the same person as Yazid. Other al Qaeda operatives go by the name of Sheikh Saeed, a senior US military intelligence official warned The Long War Journal.
Yazid serves as al Qaeda's senior military commander in Afghanistan as well as a senior spokesman.

We have seen numerous false reports come out of Pakistan over the past year on killings like this but at the same time, it stands to reason that Yazid would be inside of Pakistan hiding out or trying to mass some sort of operation. At the same time, it does look like the U.S. military intelligence is not discounting the story.

This would be a huge blow to al Qaeda and if he was indeed killed inside Pakistan is going to make all of the al Qaeda there nervous as cats on hot tin roofs. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the U.S. has to be getting closer and closer to nailing down where al Qaeda #1 and #2 actually are...there is much of Pakistan's northwest now that is under some sort of siege and there has to have been some recent movements by top leaders. And when they move, they become more vulnerable. Let's hope this asshat is finally dead and hope there's tons of intel left behind with his body.


Al Qaeda's commander in Afghanistan rumored killed in Pakistan

Unconfirmed reports from Pakistan indicate that Mustafa Abu Yazid, al Qaeda's commander in Afghanistan, has been killed during the heavy fighting in Pakistan's tribal agency of Bajaur.
The report of Yazid's death is based on statements made by an unnamed senior Pakistani security official. Pakistani television claimed Abu Saeed al Masri was killed in fighting in Bajaur. Yazid is also known as Sheikh Saeed and Abu Saeed al Masri (the Egyptian).
But it is unclear if this Abu Saeed al Masri is the same person as Yazid. Other al Qaeda operatives go by the name of Sheikh Saeed, a senior US military intelligence official warned The Long War Journal.
Yazid serves as al Qaeda's senior military commander in Afghanistan as well as a senior spokesman. He was born on Dec. 17, 1955 in Egypt, according to Geo TV, who recently interviewed Yazid. The 9-11 Commission identified Yazid as al Qaeda's "chief financial manager." Yazid "served time in jail with al Qaeda deputy leader Ayman al Zawahiri after the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981," Reuters reported.
The Bajaur tribal agency is al Qaeda’s command and control hub for operations across the border in northeastern Afghanistan. Fighting in Bajaur has been heavy over the past week after the government attempted to reassert control over the Taliban and al Qaeda safe haven.
Last week, a large Taliban force surrounded and ambushed a 200-man convoy of Frontier Corps forces moving into the region. Heavy fighting broke out after the Frontier Corps troops attempted to break the encirclement. Scores of Pakistani soldiers have been reported killed or captured, and more than a hundred Taliban have been reported killed as well. Pakistani forces retreated from the region and the Taliban are digging in around Khar, the administrative seat for Bajaur.
No independent confirmation
There has been no independent confirmation of Yazid's death. Al Qaeda has yet to release a notice of Yazid's death. In the past, al Qaeda has quickly notified their followers of the death of senior leaders. Abu Laith al Libi's death was announced within 36 hours of the US airstrike, while Abu Khabab al Masri's death was announced within four days of the attack. Al Libi was a senior al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan, while Khabab was al Qaeda's senior explosive and weapons of mass destruction expert.
Senior US military and intelligence officials contacted by The Long War Journal said the claims of Yazid's death are being investigated but cannot be confirmed at this moment.
Reports of the deaths of senior al Qaeda leaders from unnamed Pakistani sources are spotty at best. Last week, STRATFOR and CBS News reported that Ayman al Zawahiri was killed or seriously wounded during the July 28 airstrike on an al Qaeda safe house in South Waziristan.
The Taliban denied the claims, and US intelligence officials were suspicious. The reports of Zawahiri’s death were proven false after Zawahiri appeared on a videotape this week, speaking in English and calling for the overthrow of President Musharraf and the Pakistani government.

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