Pakistani officials on Friday did not confirm that al-Qaeda's chief of operations Abu Hafs al Shahri had been killed in a recent drone strike in the northwestern tribal region.
'We have no knowledge of that,' said DG Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) and Pakistan army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas.
Abu Hafs al Shahri, was the target of a drone strike which occurred within the last few days, two US officials have said. According to them, al Shahri played a 'key operational and administrative role for the group.
'Abu Hafs al Shahri's death, said one of the officials, will also pose a challenge for Ayman al Zawahiri, now al Qaeda's leader after Osama Bin Laden's death in Abbottabad in May.
The US official said that al Shahri was a contender to assume the group's second in command Atiyah Abd al Rahman's duties.
He said Shahri 'coordinated al-Qaeda's anti-US plotting in the region, and worked closely with the Pakistani Taliban to carry out attacks inside Pakistan.'
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16 September 2011 - 19:30
News ID: 265955
Pakistani officials on Friday did not confirm that al-Qaeda's chief of operations Abu Hafs al Shahri had been killed in a recent drone strike in the northwestern tribal region.
