U.S. confident al-Qaeda no. 2 dead

（单词翻译）

WASHINGTON, June 5 (www.tingvoa.com) -- White House said Tuesday U.S. intelligence community has information that led them to believe al- Qaeda number two Abu Yahya al-Libi is dead, saying it is a serious blow to the al-Qaeda leadership after the death of terror mastermind Osama bin¹ Laden² over a year ago.

We have confirmation³ of his death, said White House Spokesman Jay Carney during his daily press briefing. Calling al-Libi the terror network's general manager, Carney refused to confirm the location and specifics of al-Libi's death, but said he had a range of experience that will be hard for al-Qaeda to replicate⁴.

There is now no clear successor to take on the breadth of his responsibilities, Carney said. Al-Libi rose to second-in-command of al-Qaeda behind Ayman al-Zawahiri, who replaced bin Laden as the group's leader.

Citing anonymous⁵ sources, U.S. media earlier said al-Libi was taken out in a U.S. drone strike Monday in Pakistan's North Waziristan region, near the Afghanistan border. Reports said at least six missiles were fired at a militant⁶ compound near the town of Mir Ali. It was the 21st suspected U.S. drone strike in Pakistan this year.

Al-Libi, a Libyan, played a critical role in the group's planning against the West, providing oversight⁷ of the efforts for external operations. According to information released along with the State Department's reward for justice program, al-Libi, born in 1963, was a religious scholar who used his religious training to influence people and legitimize the actions of al-Qaeda. The U. S. government has a one-million-dollar bond on his head.

Al-Libi was captured in 2002 and held by U.S. forces in Bagram detention⁸ facility in Afghanistan, but escaped on the night of July 10, 2005. He has since appeared in a number of propaganda videos.

Al-Libi was described as a key motivator in the global jihad movement and his messages convey a clear threat to U.S. persons or property worldwide, according to the U.S. government.