Zawahiri Target In Major Attack On Al Qaeda In Pakistan

Posted on October 30, 2006

Ayman al Zawahiri was the target of a Predator missile attack this morning on a religious school in Pakistan, according to Pakistani intelligence sources.

ABC News has learned the raid was launched after U.S. intelligence received tips and examined Predator reconnaissance indicating that al Qaeda’s No. 2 man may have been staying at the school, which is located in the Bajaur region near the village that is thought to be al Qaeda’s winter headquarters.

Despite earlier reports that the missiles had been launched by Pakistani military helicopters, Pakistani intelligence sources now tell ABC News that the missiles were fired from a U.S. Predator drone plane.

Between two and five senior al Qaeda militants were killed in the attack, including the mastermind of the airliners plot in the U.K., according to Pakistani intelligence sources.

No word yet on whether or not Zawahiri was killed in the raid, but one Pakistani intelligence source did express doubt that Zawahiri would have been staying in a madrassa, which is an obvious target for strikes against militants. That source, however, did express confidence that Pakistani intelligence is closing in on Zawahiri’s location.

AJ Strata notes:

I felt the number of dead meant a large gathering and therefore a target of serious interest. You want some news that will blow this election wide open? That would be the killing of Zawahiri. We know Al Qaeda wants to make some news around this time of year because the media will give it maximum play. It would not surprise me at all if our intelligence was monitoring for pending stories and tracking back where something was coming in from. This could be big news today.

Allah Pundit doubts we got him, yet asks: