Al-Qaida top commander killed in Pakistan

A leading Al-Qaeda commander has been killed in a missile attack in Pakistan, Pakistani TV channel Geo reported on Friday.

Named Abu Laith al-Libi, the Al-Qaeda commander has been confirmed dead by an Al-Qaeda-affiliated forum on the Internet, said the report.

Libi was named in Al-Qaeda videos as a senior field commander in Afghanistan, who was suspected of involvement in a suicide bombing attack that killed 23 people outside Bagram air base in Afghanistan during a visit by U.S. Vice President Richard Cheney in February 2007.

Geo quoted Pakistani security officials as saying that a clutch of Al-Qaeda militants were killed this week when a suspected U.S. missile hit their hideout in the North Waziristan tribal area bordering Afghanistan on Monday.

Local residents said that a pilotless drone aircraft was seen flying over the area shortly before the missile strike.

However, NATO-led forces in Afghanistan said they had no information on whether the Libya-based militant had been killed.

(Xinhua)