Al Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki killed
- 13 years ago
The man the United States has called a quote "global terrorist" Anwar al-Awlaki has been killed in Yemen by a CIA drone strike, according to U.S. officials
The U.S. government put Awlaki high on its most wanted list last year and had made clear it was determined to capture or kill him.
The United States has carried out a campaign of drone strikes in Yemen, where Awlaki was a leading figure in what U.S. officials consider the most dangerous al Qaeda affiliate.
Awlaki had been implicated in a botched attempt to bomb a U.S.-bound plane in 2009 and had contacts with a U.S. Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people at a U.S. military base the same year.
Awlaki's death adds to a list of recent blows to al Qaeda, including the U.S. killing of Osama bin Laden at his hideout in Pakistan in May.
U.S. intelligence officials have said the militant network that carried out the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States has been severely debilitated by the loss of some of its top leaders.
Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters.
The U.S. government put Awlaki high on its most wanted list last year and had made clear it was determined to capture or kill him.
The United States has carried out a campaign of drone strikes in Yemen, where Awlaki was a leading figure in what U.S. officials consider the most dangerous al Qaeda affiliate.
Awlaki had been implicated in a botched attempt to bomb a U.S.-bound plane in 2009 and had contacts with a U.S. Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people at a U.S. military base the same year.
Awlaki's death adds to a list of recent blows to al Qaeda, including the U.S. killing of Osama bin Laden at his hideout in Pakistan in May.
U.S. intelligence officials have said the militant network that carried out the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States has been severely debilitated by the loss of some of its top leaders.
Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters.