U.S.-born al-Qaeda cleric in Yemen killed, officials say

U.S. army missile-firing drones killed a prominent al-Qaeda leader in Yemen on Friday, according to U.S. and Yemeni officials. Anwar al-Awlaki is an American-born Islamic radical who moved to the Arabian Peninsula in 2007. If confirmed, his death marks the first time an American citizen has been killed by the unmanned drones that have become President Barack Obama’s preferred method of attacking militant leaders in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. After Osama bin Laden was assassinated by U.S. Navy Seals in May, Awlaki became the country’s top target. He has been blamed for orchestrating the failed attempt to blow up a transatlantic flight by the “underwear bomber” on Christmas Day 2009, and has been connected with a failed car bombing in New York’s Time Square. He’s also blamed for inspiring the shooting rampage at an army base in Fort Hood. Awlaki, 39, was born in New Mexico and grew up in Virginia. Another American, Samir Khan, who produced an English-language al-Qaeda website, was reportedly killed in the drone strike.

Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/africa-mideast/yemen-says-it-has-killed-al-qaeda-cleric-awlaki/article2185967/