World

Al Qaeda’s East Africa chief killed

The presumed head of al Qaeda in east Africa died this week in a Mogadishu shootout.

Afp June 12, 2011

MOGADISHU:

The presumed head of al Qaeda in east Africa, Fazul Abdullah Muhammad, wanted for blowing up the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, died this week in a Mogadishu shootout, officials said on Saturday. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said his death was a major setback for the group and its affiliates.

“It is a just end for a terrorist who brought so much death and pain to so many innocents in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam and elsewhere,” said Clinton.

The 38-year-old is thought to have planned the massive truck bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam that killed 224 people in 1998 and had a $5 million bounty on his head. “We have confirmed by DNA tests carried out with our partners that it definitely was Fazul Abdullah,” an official at Somalia’s National Security Agency said. A commander of Somalia’s rebel Al Shebab movement said earlier this week that Fazul was among two men killed near Mogadishu.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 12th, 2011.

COMMENTS (3)

Meekal Ahmed | 13 years ago | Reply If true, good riddance.

Mirza | 13 years ago | Reply Actually after finding OBL and killing him, the Americans found a treasure trove of information as well. After catching the Pakistan army red handed they are now extracting a lot more accurate info for the drones to do a "killer" job. The treasure trove of info is helping them to know the names and the hiding places (living) of the other top terrorists in Yemen and Somalia as well. As the time goes by, most people would understand why the raid on OBL kept secret from his friends and protectors?

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