Top al Qaeda leader killed in Pakistan

Officials in Islamabad confirmed the death of Shukrijumah, a top al Qaeda leader in Pakistan on Saturday.

"In an intelligence borne operation, top al Qaeda leader Adnan el Shukrijumah, was killed by Pakistan Army in an early morning raid in Shinwarsak, South Waziristan today," the Agence France Presse quoted Pakistan's military as saying.

Shukrijumah's accomplice was also killed in the attack, a spokesman for Pakistan's military said, adding that five suspected militants of the terror group had also been arrested during the raid.

In a statement, the country's army said that Shukrijumah, a Saudi national who lived in the US for several years, was an important al Qaeda leader and controlled all external operations for the terror organization. His post had earlier been held by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the man who masterminded the 9/11 terror attacks.

According to the FBI, charges against Shukrijuma revealed "that the plot against New York City's subway system, uncovered in September of 2009, was directed by senior al Qaeda leadership in Pakistan." The US had placed a $5 million (4 million euro) bounty on his head. The al Qaeda leader is also believed to have plotted bombings in several locations in the UK.

The operation in which Shukrijumah was killed was a part of the Pakistani military's offensive to wipe out militants from its tribal areas that border Afghanistan. For years now, the region has served as a hideout for members of al Qaeda and the Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan.

Pakistani forces have killed more than 1,100 militants in attacks, and 100 soldiers have died since June this year, when the operation began.

mg/se (AFP, dpa, Reuters)