CAIRO: A U.S. airstrike has killed Al-Qaida’s No. 2 leader Nasir al-Wahishi, a veteran jihadi who once served as Al- Qaeda big wig Osama bin Laden’s aide-de-camp.
AQAP (Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) released a statement early Tuesday morning via its online media portal saying al-Wuhayshi had been killed and naming his deputy, Qassim al-Rimi, as the group’s new leader. U.S. officials have yet to confirm the death of al-Wuhayshi, however.
Wuhayshi was once the personal secretary to Osama bin Laden, before rising to lead AQAP — the most dangerous branch of al Qaeda. He also served as deputy to al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, and had recently been given the title of manager of al Qaeda’s global operations.
Among other attacks, AQAP was behind the attempt by the so-called underwear bomber to blow up a U.S. airliner over Detroit. It also claimed responsibility for the attacks carried out by two brothers in Paris earlier this year which left 11 dead.
