There is possibly some good news out of Yemen this morning.
Media sources are reporting that al Qaeda has confirmed that Nasir al-Wuhayshi, the terror group’s second in command and a former aide to Osama bin Laden, was killed in a U.S. drone strike on Friday:
From NBC News:
In addition to leading AQAP — considered to be the terror organization’s most important affiliate — Wuhayshi was said to be “operations manager” of al Qaeda Central, reporting directly to Ayman al-Zawahiri. Zawahiri assumed command of the terror group after bin Laden’s 2011 death and retains leadership of al Qaeda in Pakistan, but his mobility is limited and he is unable to plan much of anything, said a U.S. counterterrorism official. On the other hand, said the official, Wuhayshi, “by virtue of where he is,” can plan external operations against the West.
Wuhayshi, a 38-year-old Yemeni, served as a secretary to bin Laden at the time of the September 11 attacks and then rose in the al Qaeda hierarchy. After 9/11, he fled Afghanistan as U.S. forces moved in, and was arrested after crossing the border into Iran. Iranian authorities turned him over to authorities in his native Yemen, where he escaped from prison and reconnected with al Qaeda.
As they say, big news if true.
Update:
So this helps ISIS?
Editor’s note: This post has been updated with an additional tweet.
***
Related:
Country now bombing Yemen tells other countries to stop ‘meddling’ in its ‘internal affairs’
‘Hey, let’s give them nukes’: US warships sent to block Iranian weapon shipments to Yemen rebels
