Deputy al-Qaida leader killed in Pakistan drone strike, White House confirms

AFP/IntelCenter/Getty Images

This still image from video obtained on Oct. 18, 2011courtesy of IntelCenter shows al-Qaida's as-Sahab's video statement from Abu Yahya al-Libi on Algeria.

The White House on Tuesday confirmed the death of deputy al-Qaida leader Abu Yahya al-Libi in Pakistan, calling his death a “major blow” to the terrorist group.

DRONE  ATTACK

White House spokesman Jay Carney would not confirm al-Libi’s death occurred as a result of a U.S. drone strike in North Waziristan, part of  Pakistan’s northwestern tribal area, though Pakistani security sources said he died in  a pre-dawn attack there that killed 15 insurgents, the last in a series of three U.S. drone attacks over the weekend.

“I can’t get into details about how his death was brought about, but I can tell you that he served as al-Qaida’s general manger, responsible for overseeing the group’s day-to-day operations in the tribal areas of Pakistan and he managed the outreach to al-Qaida’s regional affiliates,” Carney said.