Top Al-Qaeda man killed in drone attack

Saleh-al-Somali, who took orders from al-Qaeda, died in the mountainous border region of Western Pakistan.

It is said that he was involved in the planning and plotting of attacks in U.S. and Europe.

Somali was a link between Al-Qaeda and Al-Shabaab
According to the U.S. officials, Somali’s role was to take guidance from seniors and plan prospective terrorist attacks. Somali had previously worked in various Pakistani tribal areas too.

U.S. officials also tell that Somali was the main link between al-Qaeda and military group Al Shabaab of Africa.

“He was engaged in plotting throughout the world,” said a Pakistani senior official. “Given his central role, this probably included plotting attacks against the United States and Europe. He took strategic guidance from al-Qaeda's top leadership and translated it into operational blueprints for prospective terrorist attacks.”

Another top al-Qaeda operator, Abu-Yahya al-Libi, was also killed in the same attack. However, both Pakistani and American officials refused to comment further on this matter.

Attacks by C.I.A cause civilian deaths
The attacks, which have caused many civilian deaths, are conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.). The drones have infrared cameras and precision-guided bombs fitted inside them.

Since Jan. 2008, there have been 67 deaths in Pakistan. Even though Pakistan initially supported the drone attacks with the U.S., the country now denounces it publicly.

The C.I.A program, which is totally confidential, reported that the drone strikes have actually declined considerably since summer. The reason behind the decline is not known, however, some believe that it may be due to the improved strategy of Al-Qaeda.