Senior al-Qaida official reportedly killed in Pakistan
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A senior al-Qaida figure died this week in fighting in Pakistan's tribal borderlands, a Pakistani security official and other sources said Tuesday.
Abu Saeed al-Masri, also known as Mustafa Abu al-Yazeed, was believed to have been a close associate of al-Qaida's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and to have played a prominent role in the organization's overall structure.
Yazeed, who was in charge of al-Qaeda's operations in Afghanistan, was reported to have been killed in the Bajur tribal agency, along the Pakistan-Afghan frontier. The area has long provided a haven for Islamic militants, including some senior al-Qaeda leaders. Al-Zawahiri is thought to have a base in the area.
Commanders and operatives in al-Qaida often take names that identify them by their country of origin. "Al-Masri," part of Yazeed's nom de guerre, means "The Egyptian." Another prominent Egyptian in the organization, chemical and biological weapons expert Abu Khabab al-Masri, was killed in a strike in Pakistan's tribal areas last month.
Intelligence officials have said Yazeed played a key role in al-Qaida's finances. He also is thought to have helped orchestrate specific attacks inside Pakistan, including the June bombing of the Danish Embassy in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
Most al-Qaida figures killed in the semi-autonomous Pakistani tribal areas have been killed by U.S. aerial drones or in other targeted strikes. However, the fighting over the past week in Bajur has involved primarily the Pakistani military.
