US strike killed Al Qaeda bomb maker - report
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-01-19 08:35

ABC News reported on Wednesday that al Qaeda's master bomb maker and chemical weapons expert was one of the men killed in last week's U.S. missile attack in Pakistan.

The network did not say in the report on its Web site why it believed he had been killed but it reported that Midhat Mursi, 52, also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri, was identified by Pakistani authorities as one of three known al Qaeda leaders present at a conference in the village of Damadola.

"Pakistani authorities tell ABC News they have confirmation that Mursi was among those on the guest list for the late-night meeting. The authorities say al Qaeda's No. 2 man, Ayman al-Zawahri, was also expected to attend but apparently changed his mind," the network said.

U.S. counterterrorism officials could not confirm the report but said Mursi led training in explosives and poisons at al Qaeda's Derunta camp in Afghanistan.

"If this person is gone, it is significant. His loss, and the loss of people like him, would certainly be a blow to al Qaeda in the region," said one official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the information.

The United States has posted a $5 million reward for Mursi's capture.

Protests erupted in Pakistan after a U.S. air strike last Friday that Pakistani and U.S. sources said was aimed at al Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri. It killed at least 18 people, including women and children, in a village near the Afghan border.