Al Qaeda has lost its high-profile religious figure Salim al Laibi in a recent US drone attack near the town of Mirali in North Waziristan, sources told Pakistan Today on Sunday. “Salam al Laibi was amongst the 12 militants killed in the US drone attack in Khushhali Torikhel near Mirali on May 16,” a well-placed source told Pakistan Today. Usman, the son of another al Qaeda top commander Abu Akasha, was also killed in the same attack, said the source, adding that he was Abu Akasha’s third son to be killed in a US drone strike.
According to the source, al Laibi was counted among top al Qaeda leaders and was a mufti by status and responsible for the guidance of al Qaeda fugitives fighting against the United States in the region. Other independent sources privy to the workings of al Qaeda and Taliban militants sheltering in North Waziristan confirmed al Laibi’s death.
