WASHINGTON -
A U.S. official says a drone strike in Pakistan's northwest tribal region has killed al-Qaida's second-in-command.
The death of Abu Yahya al-Libi is a significant blow to the terror network, which has lost a string of top leaders at the hands of the American drone program.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, says that no one left in al-Qaida comes close to replacing the expertise al-Qaida has just lost.
Al-Libi would be the latest in the dozen-plus senior commanders removed in the clandestine U.S. war against al-Qaida since Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden just over a year ago. Al-Libi, a hero in militant circles for his 2005 escape from an American military prison in Afghanistan, was elevated to al-Qaida's No. 2 spot when Ayman al-Zawahri rose to replace the slain bin Laden.
White House confirms
The White House is confirming the death of al-Qaida's second-in-command, calling it a "major blow" to the terror network.
White House spokesman Jay Carney would not confirm how Abu Yahya al-Libi was killed. An American official says he was killed in a U.S. drone strike.
Carney described al-Libi as an operational leader and a "general manager" of al-Qaida. He says al-Libi had a range of experience that will be hard for al-Qaida to replicate and brings the terror network closer to its ultimate demise than ever before.
Al-Libi is the latest in the dozen-plus senior commanders removed in the clandestine U.S. war against al-Qaida since Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden last year.
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