CBS NEWS: One of al Qaeda’s top chemical and biological weapons experts was killed in an air strike by a CIA pilotless drone in a remote Pakistani border region, senior Pakistani intelligence officials told CBS News Tuesday morning. Intelligence officials investigating the early Monday missile attack confirmed that Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri was one of six men killed and his remains had been positively identified. “We now have a positive ID on the body. I can confirm to you that Al-Masri has been killed,” a Pakistani intelligence official told CBS News on the condition of anonymity
Al-Masri, an Egyptian national, became notorious for developing chemical and biological weapons for al Qaeda. He was known to
have used a variety of animals, including dogs, cats and frogs in brutal experiments which often left the animals dead. The Western security official, who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity, said al-Masri’s animal experiments were filmed and used by al Qaeda to train new volunteers in the use of chemical and biological weapons. The attack took place in Waziristan — a region along the Afghan border which has become notorious for its local tribes playing host to al Qaeda and Taliban militants, including some who fled U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
While al-Masri was among al Qaeda’s senior-most operatives, it was difficult to ascertain the damage his death could theoretically inflict upon the terror group, if confirmed. A senior Pakistani security official, who also spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity, said that, despite heightened fears after Sept. 11 that al Qaeda was determined to carry out chemical and biological weapons attacks, the group has largely relied on suicide and conventional arms attacks in locations such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
“Al Qaeda has never proven itself as a potent force in using chemical and biological weapons,” said the official. “If al-Masri has in fact died, his death will not cripple al Qaeda or the Taliban.” The timing of the report on al-Masri’s death also aroused suspicion — coinciding with a visit to the White House by Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani. In the past week two U.S. officials, speaking on deep background, told CBS News that they expected Pakistan to overtly demonstrate its support for the U.S. fight against terrorism by assisting in the arrest or killing of an important Islamic militant, close to the time of Gilani’s Washington trip. MORE
[Photo Source: THE TRIBUNE]