BREAKING: Al Qaeda’s Number Two Leader Abu Yahya Al-Libi Is Dead

Tuesday afternoon, major news outlets report that US officials have confirmed that number two al Qaeda official, Abu Yahya al-Libi, was killed in a drone strike this week over Pakistan.

CNN writes that his death presents a major blow to al Qaeda:

Abu Yahya al-Libi is universally admired in jihadist circles and among the younger generation of al Qaeda leaders. Charismatic, intelligent, a religious scholar – and with the extra qualification of having escaped from U.S. custody in Afghanistan – his loss would be “a cataclysmic blow” to al Qaeda, according to analysts who follow the group.

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