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US strike killed Al Qaeda bomb maker - report
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-01-19 08:35
ABC News reported on Wednesday that al Qaeda's master bomb maker and chemical
weapons expert was one of the men killed in last week's U.S. missile attack in
Pakistan.
The network did not say in the report on its Web site why it believed he had
been killed but it reported that Midhat Mursi, 52, also known as Abu Khabab
al-Masri, was identified by Pakistani authorities as one of three known al Qaeda
leaders present at a conference in the village of Damadola.
"Pakistani authorities tell ABC News they have confirmation that Mursi was
among those on the guest list for the late-night meeting. The authorities say al
Qaeda's No. 2 man, Ayman al-Zawahri, was also expected to attend but apparently
changed his mind," the network said.
U.S. counterterrorism officials could not confirm the report but said Mursi
led training in explosives and poisons at al Qaeda's Derunta camp in
Afghanistan.
"If this person is gone, it is significant. His loss, and the loss of people
like him, would certainly be a blow to al Qaeda in the region," said one
official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the
information.
The United States has posted a $5 million reward for Mursi's capture.
Protests erupted in Pakistan after a U.S. air strike last Friday that
Pakistani and U.S. sources said was aimed at al Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman
al-Zawahri. It killed at least 18 people, including women and children, in a
village near the Afghan border.
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