News: Al Qaeda's No. 2 Atiyah Abd al-Rahman killed in Pakistan

iamvladd

Quote:

CBS/AP) WASHINGTON — Al Qaeda's second-in-command, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, has been killed in Pakistan, delivering another big blow to a terrorist group that the U.S. believes to be on the verge of defeat, a senior Obama administration official said Saturday.
The Libyan national who was the network's former operational leader rose to al Qaeda's No. 2 spot after the U.S. killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden during a raid on his Pakistan compound in May.

Al-Rahman was killed Aug. 22 in the lawless Pakistani tribal region of Waziristan, according to the official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss intelligence issues.

The official would not say how al-Rahman was killed. But his death came on the same day that a CIA drone strike was reported in Waziristan. Such strikes by unmanned aircraft are Washington's weapon of choice for killing terrorists in the mountainous, hard-to-reach area along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Al-Rahman, believed to be in his mid-30s, was a close confidant of bin Laden and once served as bin Laden's emissary to Iran.

A U.S. official told CBS News al-Rahman spoke on behalf of both Osama bin Laden and Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri, and was the one affiliates "knew and trusted."

"There's no question this is a major blow to al Qaeda," the official told CBS News Homeland Security correspondent Bob Orr. "Atiyah was at the top of al Qaeda's trusted core. He ran daily operations for the group since Shaykh Sa'id al-Masri was killed last year, and has been Zawahiri's second-in-command since Bin Laden's death in May."

"He planned the details of al Qaeda operations and its propaganda," the official told CBS News. "His combination of background, experience, and abilities are unique in al Qaeda - without question, they will not be easily replaced.

"Zawahiri needed Atiyah's experience and connections to help manage al Qaeda; now it will be even harder for him to consolidate control."

Al-Rahman was allowed to move freely in and out of Iran as part of that arrangement and had been operating out of Waziristan for some time, officials have said.

Born in Libya, al-Rahman joined bin Laden as a teenager in Afghanistan to fight the Soviet Union.

After Navy SEALs killed bin Laden, they found evidence of al-Rahman's role as operational chief, U.S. officials have said.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said last month that al Qaeda's defeat was within reach if the U.S. could mount a string of successful attacks on the group's weakened leadership.

"Now is the moment, following what happened with bin Laden, to put maximum pressure on them," Panetta said, "because I do believe that if we continue this effort we can really cripple al Qaeda as a major threat."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/...20098271.shtml

2 down, who's next

Bee․

WHO IS NEXT

RatedG²

Georges

MP2K

I see they dropping like flies?

Medo

Quote:

‘Al-Qaeda is a U.S.-sponsored Intelligence Asset used to Justify War in the Middle East '

I'm telling you This **** is a conspiracy, there ain't no Al Qaeda. and back to 9/11 how can ONE Plane put down two Buildings? Inside Job Much?

iamvladd

Quote:

Originally posted by medosuxx

I'm telling you This **** is a conspiracy, there ain't no Al Qaeda. and back to 9/11 how can ONE Plane put down two Buildings? Inside Job Much?

Sis, no

-Lewymocha-

Quote:

Originally posted by medosuxx

I'm telling you This **** is a conspiracy, there ain't no Al Qaeda. and back to 9/11 how can ONE Plane put down two Buildings? Inside Job Much?

Sis, there were two planes

£100

Quote:

Originally posted by medosuxx

I'm telling you This **** is a conspiracy, there ain't no Al Qaeda. and back to 9/11 how can ONE Plane put down two Buildings? Inside Job Much?

Good lord.

KitKat

Quote:

Originally posted by medosuxx

I'm telling you This **** is a conspiracy, there ain't no Al Qaeda. and back to 9/11 how can ONE Plane put down two Buildings? Inside Job Much?

They used witchcraft, obviously

Either that, or it was two planes. Take your pick.

MovinKindaSlow

Quote:

Originally posted by Katie

They used witchcraft, obviously

Either that, or it was two planes. Take your pick.

Medo

KeirGrey

You do know there was two planes right?

Thisisit

Quote:

Originally posted by medosuxx

I'm telling you This **** is a conspiracy, there ain't no Al Qaeda. and back to 9/11 how can ONE Plane put down two Buildings? Inside Job Much?

You're a ****ing moron.

fabian_phipps

Quote:

Originally posted by medosuxx

I'm telling you This **** is a conspiracy, there ain't no Al Qaeda. and back to 9/11 how can ONE Plane put down two Buildings? Inside Job Much?

Mess...

Departure

Quote:

Originally posted by medosuxx

I'm telling you This **** is a conspiracy, there ain't no Al Qaeda. and back to 9/11 how can ONE Plane put down two Buildings? Inside Job Much?

You need mental help asap!

GaGaFan

Good.

Good.

Medo

Ok. y'all are right about the 2 Planes, i was 4 when 9-11 Happened, i'm not that Informed, but it's not the first time a Plane has come into a building, and the buildings never went down like that anyways this is what i beleive, you have no right in saying i'm a moron or need mental help, and when i meant one plane i mixed that information with the fact that the second building was NOT hit, it just decided to fall on it's own, and you can watch the video i posted above, just WATCH IT!

Quote:

Originally posted by Marion Cotilard

we see other towers of the same kind being hit by a plane, are they burned? there is a tower i beleive it was in spain that burned for 24 hours, it never collapsed, none of these towers collapsed, i think we're lied to about a couple of things