Report: al-Qaeda’s Number Two Killed In Pakistan

Al-Qaeda’s second-in-command, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, was killed today in Pakistan from a U.S. missile strike, according to a Pakistani intelligence official.

After Osama bin Laden was taken out in May, the SEALs that raided his compound discovered information about al-Rahman’s ties to al-Qaeda. Last month, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta expressed hope that the defeat of the terrorist organization is “within reach” given previous successes in taking out al-Qaeda leaders.

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

One anonymous U.S. official claimed that al-Qaeda’s new leader Ayman al-Zawahiri relied on “Atiyah’s experience and connections to help manage al-Qaeda,” believing it will be harder for Zawahiri to manage al-Qaeda, which is seen now as “an increasingly weakened organization.”

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!