Radical US-born cleric killed in Yemen

US-born radical Islamic cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi, a prominent Al-Qaeda chief described by US officials as the “most significant risk” to the United States, was killed in Yemen yesterday.

Yemen’s defence ministry, which announced the death, also said that Pakistani-American Samir Khan, who edited Al-Qaeda’s English-language magazine “Inspire,” was killed in the same air strike.

“I can confirm... he’s dead,” a senior US official said in reference to Awlaki, without providing any further details.

In April 2010, a US official said the Administration of President Barack Obama had authorised the targeted killing of Awlaqi after intelligence agencies concluded the cleric was directly involved in anti-US plots. In Sanaa, the defence ministry said Awlaqi was killed yesterday morning but did not elaborate.

Tribal sources said Awlaqi was killed in what was likely to have been an American air strike on two vehicles in Marib province, an Al-Qaeda stronghold in eastern Yemen, early in the day.

One of them quoted what he said was a man travelling behind Awlaqi in a second vehicle and who was himself wounded.

The man, Khamis Arfaj, said Awlaki and two others, one of them Arfaj’s brother, Salem, “were killed instantly from a direct missile hit to their pick-up” truck.

The source said he suspected they died in an American drone strike, saying “US planes have been flying overhead for days now.”

“Then this morning, at about 9.30, what appeared to be a US aircraft fired on the two cars Awlaqi and his fellow operatives are believed to have been travelling in,” he said.

Another tribal source spoke of rumours that Awlaqi had recently changed locations within Yemen, from southern Shabwa province, another militant bastion, to Marib.

US monitoring group IntelCenter said it “would especially impact the group’s ability to recruit, inspire and raise funds”.

Earlier this month, The Washington Post said the United States was building an array of secret new drone bases to conduct strikes against Al-Qaeda targets in both Yemen and Somalia.

Yemeni authorities officially deny the use of drones against Al-Qaeda targets in their country, saying Washington provides only logistical support to Sanaa’s fight against extremists.