Top US Officer Lauds al-Qaida Death

Military, Middle East, Politics, Government, Current Events, General

The top U.S. military officer on Friday applauded the attack in Pakistan that killed a top al-Qaida commander, calling it an important moment in the global war on terror.”The strike was a very important one, it was a very lethal one,” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Pentagon news conference. He refused to provide details and did not explicitly say that Abu Laith al-Libi was killed in a U.S. missile strike inside Pakistan.

“While this particular strike was very successful and we were very pleased with the outcome, there is still a great deal more work to do,” Mullen said.

Asked about the significance of eliminating al-Libi, Mullen said al-Libi was “a key figure, clearly, for al-Qaida, and we believe that’s important.” He added that the U.S. government remains “concerned about the safe havens there,” referring to the area of western Pakistan bordering Afghanistan.

Mullen said that concern, heightened by a recent increase in al-Qaida violence against targets inside Pakistan, is one reason he will be traveling to Pakistan this month to meet with Pakistan leaders.

The death of al-Libi was first reported Thursday on Islamic extremist Web sites. The strike reportedly happened on Monday.

The U.S. says al-Libi — whose name means “the Libyan” in Arabic — was likely behind a February 2007 bombing at the U.S. air base at Bagram in Afghanistan during a visit by Vice President Dick Cheney. The attack killed 23 people, but Cheney was deep inside the sprawling base and was not hurt.

[via AP]

Bill Jefferson @ February 1, 2008