Posted by
Darko Trifunovic on Tuesday, July 29, 2008 2:00:59 PM
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Synopsis: Reports from
Pakistan say a leading al-Qaeda
chemical weapons expert, Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar,
has been killed in a missile strike. Taliban officials in the tribal area
of South Waziristan confirmed to the BBC that
he was killed in a missile strike that left at least six people dead. The
US , which has a reward of $5m on his
head, said it had no information. He was wrongly reported to have been killed in
2006 in a strike aimed at al-Qaeda deputy head Ayman al-Zawahiri. The pre-dawn
strike targeted a house near a mosque in the
village of Azam
Warsak , 20km west of the main town in South
Waziristan , Wana. It was suspected to be a strike by US forces, with
residents saying they had heard US drones, but this has not been confirmed.
Pakistani military spokesman Maj Gen Abbas said it was still awaiting "authentic
information" from the area. Also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri, is an Egyptian
national. The
US government's Rewards for Justice
Website says he is "an explosives expert and poisons trainer working on behalf
of al-Qaeda". It says he trained hundreds of militants in chemical and
explosives operations at a camp at Derunta in
Afghanistan . The
BBC in Islamabad
says the militant was considered part of Osama Bin Laden's inner circle and was
said to be in charge of efforts to gain access to, or develop, weapons of mass
destruction. Local residents said the house targeted belonged to a local
tribesman and suspected militants used to stay there. The
US is reported
to have carried out a number of drone missile attacks in the tribal regions.
Pakistan has complained the attacks
could damage bilateral relations. The latest strike came shortly before
Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani was due to meet
US President Bush in
Washington . White House
spokeswoman Dana Perino said she had no information about the incident. In
recent months the US and its
allies have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in military and other forms
of assistance to help
Pakistan 's new government tackle
militancy in border tribal areas.
Analysis/Road Ahead: Multiple news sources cite Abu
Khabab al-Masri’s death by US
missile strike in
Pakistan , if confirmed; his death
would pose a potentially substantial setback to al-Qaeda as al-Masri was
considered an essential dynamic in al-Qaeda’s quest for weapons of mass
destruction. An alleged member of Osama Bin Laden's inner circle his
death would represent a direct blow to the al-Qaeda leadership and could
indicate Osama Bin Laden's own security is at risk as intelligence revealed
al-Masri’s location, so Bin Laden is conceivably also susceptible to discovery.
While al-Masri was erroneously reported killed in 2006 confirmation of his death
is vital otherwise al-Qaeda’s propaganda machine will illuminate/exploit the
US failure. This missile strike was
also significant as its timing occurred just prior to
Pakistan ’s
Premier meeting President Bush. Imaginably this missile strike intervention in
Pakistan influenced
Pakistan ’s Premier’s to vow
to fight "extremists/terrorists" and to secure its porous border with
Afghanistan .
Sources: BBC, The Scotsman, Times
Online, Turkish Press, AFP, NYT, KUNA, Daily Times, Press TV, Reuters, AP, Inter
Services Public Relations, 28 Jul
08