ISLAMABAD ( AP) — Al- Qaida has confirmed an American drone strike killed one of its commanders in Pakistan last month — a success in a CIA-led campaign that is a major source of tension stalling the relationship between Washington and Islamabad.
The death of Badr Mansoor in the strike along the border with Afghanistan is significant because he was believed to be behind many of the suicide attacks that have killed scores of Pakistani civilians in recent years. It could also be used by supporters of the campaign in Washington and Islamabad as an example of how drone attacks benefit both countries.
The U.S.-based SITE monitoring service said today that the confirmation of Mansoor’s death came in a video statement by Ahmad Farooq, al-Qaida’s head of media and preaching in Pakistan. The video has been released on an Internet jihadist forum.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less