Al-Qaeda Figure Is Killed In Pakistan

From The Washington Post:

BERLIN, Jan. 31 -- A senior al-Qaeda commander was killed this week in Pakistan, according to Western officials and an Islamic radical Web site, marking a rare success in the flagging U.S. and Pakistani campaign to hunt down members of the network.

Abu Laith al-Libi, the nom de guerre of a Libyan fighter who had served alongside al-Qaeda and the Taliban since the late 1980s, had become an influential field commander in recent years, overseeing many operations against U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, officials said. The U.S. military blamed him for organizing a suicide attack that killed 23 people outside Bagram air base during a visit by Vice President Cheney in February last year.

Read more ...

My Comment: One has to wonder if this strike was approved by the Pakistani Government or was this just a solo mission done by the the U.S. In the past Pakistan has been resistant to pressure from the U.S. in pursuing known Al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan. Has Pakistan changed their policy, or has the U.S. changed their policy in now actively going after known Al Qaeda targets.

The attack by extremists today against Pakistani forces (5 Pakistani troops killed in attack) that were only two miles away from the airstrike is a clear sign that Al Qaeda believes that Pakistan was complicit in this attack.