...in Yemen, via drone strike.

http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/al-...s-politics.html

Al Qaeda Leader Linked to USS Cole Attack Killed in Airstrike in Yemen
By Luis Martinez | ABC News Blogs – 17 hours ago

The government of Yemen says an airstrike has killed a top al Qaeda leader who was on the FBI's most wanted terrorist list because of his role in the attack on the USS Cole . The attack on the U.S. Navy destroyer in October, 2000 killed 17 American sailors and injured 39.

The Embassy of Yemen in Washington issued a press release Sunday saying Fahd al Quso, 37, was killed in an "airstrike" in Rafth, in the southern province of Shabwa.

The release described him as "a leading figure in the terrorist organization: al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)." It also said "Al Quso was one of Yemen's most wanted terrorist(s). He was also indicted for his role in the bombing of the USS Cole in Aden."

A U. S. official described al Quso to ABC News as a "senior terrorist operative" of AQAP who was "deeply involved in ongoing terrorist plotting against Yemeni and U.S. interests at the time of his death." He also described him as being "involved in numerous attacks over many years that murdered Americans as well as Yemeni men, women, and children."

There was no mention of who conducted the airstrike, but in the past a non-attribution airstrike usually implies that it was conducted by the either the CIA or the U.S. military. The Associated Press cites U.S. officials as saying the strike was conducted by the CIA.

The CIA and the U.S. military's Joint Special Operations Command both conduct Predator drone strikes in Yemen targeting AQAP operatives. U.S. officials say the majority of the recent strikes have been conducted by the CIA.

Two weeks ago another top AQAP operative was killed by a CIA drone strike.

The U.S. has been conducting Predator drone operations in Yemen since at least 2009. The website The Long War Journal, which keeps track of American drone strikes inside Yemen says there have been 24 strikes since May 2011.

Not only was Al-Quso on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorist list, but the State Department's Rewards for Justice program offered a "$5 million reward for information leading directly to the apprehension or conviction, in any country, of Fahd Mohammed Ahmed Al-Quso."

Al-Quso had served prison time in Yemen for his role in the attack on the USS Cole, but was released in 2007.

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Mitt Romney and right wingers everywhere accuse the President of killing the terrorist for purely political reasons.

Why? Because they are fuckin idiots.

Fish on...

Todd

". . . accuse the President of killing the terrorist for purely political reasons."

Well of course the President killed the terrorist for political reasons. It is the policy of this president to kill terrorists that have attacked Americans. Since the US justice system doesn't extent beyond the shores of the US, killing terrorists is the most effective method of preventing recidivism. Good policy IMO.

They should have politely asked him to stay right where he was until Romney was CIC so he could make the decision to not bomb him, and then he could go get a taco.

Fish on...

Todd

They have admitted that one of their greatest fears is the Hellfire-armed Predator.
We do know how to kill bad guys and it must piss them off.

I'm not overly fond of Obama, but he is much better at taking the attack to the terrorists than Bill Clinton ever was. Good job, Sir. Nothing more needs to be said.

On this issue, I approve of his actions, regardless if there were multiple political gains to be had by taking this stance. In the end, they lost.

He actually is "the Decider".

people should think twice about attacking an entity that has the capability of firing a missile 1000 miles away....


from a ship...


and turning around and forgetting about it...


long live the BGM 109 and variants...

silly terrorists...

just released..

http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/201...d-airliner?lite

The newest info is suggesting that the foiling of the attempted airliner attack, and the arrest of the bombmaker there, is what lead to the development of the intelligence that lead to the drone attack in Yemen that killed al Quso.



He's been hella better at it than GWB ever was, too...he's actually hunting down and killing terrorists instead of attacking countries that have nothing whatsoever to do with terrorist plots against the USA.

Fish on...

Todd

Clinton didn't have the hardware that Obama has.
On Clinton's watch they would gather their best intel and take the shot via Tomahawk from hundreds of miles away.
Now they can sit on them with a Predator and unleash hell from a few thousand feet above.

no pun intended right ?

I don't necessarily disagree.

I'm not inclined to defend dubya but I think that there was one instance when they had a positive ID on Bin Laden and the drone was not armed. The Predators armed with Hellfires were just coming on line.
Dubya would have gotten the kill if an armed Predator was aloft that day.

The tech and Obama seemed to come online together.
"If you have the shot, take the shot."

Would'a been hard to bomb this particular SOB when he was in a Yemeni prison until 2007.

Glad he's dead regardless of who gets political points.

Bin Laden was right. Our country is collapsing financially from the inside. He is gone but his legacy is alive.
We will probably keep chasing these clowns well after bankruptcy.

small scale nukes in remote areas where they are known to be, is what i think... wont EVER happen tho..

till then, just have to go with conventional...

dont ever fVck with the US

Bin Laden was right. Our country is collapsing financially from the inside. He is gone but his legacy is alive.
We will probably keep chasing these clowns well after bankruptcy.

a really irritating wart...

I don't have too much of a problem with killing these guys with drones, however, you have to grab a few here and there so that you can get information too. When you blow them up, you usually lose the valuable computer hard drives and other information too.

This administration has chosen to use the missile and they have been very effective with it. IMO they have chosen this route in order to not have to deal with all the crap that the Bush admin dealt with when they put the bad guys in Gitmo and abroad.

my opinion:

you though Somalia was bad? dump forces into the heart of where they are, and i mean the HEART, not the hills of Afghanistan, and watch what happens.... use the troops to keep them from expanding...


better to strike from the air, than to sustain massive casualties...

the Hellfire, and Tomahawk are 2 of the most sophisticated missiles in any aresenal... and they are our specialty...


oh yea, note what my first 2 words were before responding to me peeps

If Yemen has a problem with Al Qaeda killing people there, or a problem with us killing terrorists there, they have it within their power to fix those problems...which is stop harboring terrorists there.

Same goes for Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

Fish on...

Todd

true, but it will never happen Todd...

Middle Eastern countries HATE us... wether they act like it or not...

we were giving over 1 billion a year to Pakistan in aid... and they got pissed at us for killing Osama... and likely knew he was there the whole time... AQ and the Towlieban will be able to support and protect people in outlying reaches that dont have full on military help... they will always remain...


always...

Not often Todd, but I agree on your last post.