One of Al-Qaeda’s top commanders in Afghanistan and a key liaison with the Taliban, Abu Laith al-Libi, was killed according to a Web site used by militant groups.

Pakistani intelligence officials and local residents said that a missile hit a compound in a village about 2.5 miles outside Mir Ali in North Waziristan late Monday or early Tuesday, destroying the facility.

Residents said they were not allowed to approach the site of the blast and the Pakistan government and military said they did not know who fired the missile. Local officials said that foreigners were targeted in the attack.

A knowledgeable Western official said that “it appears at this point that Al-Libi has met his demise,” but declined to talk about the circumstances. “It was a major success in taking one of the top terrorists in the world off the street,” the official said. He added that the death occurred “within the last few days.”

This was apparently not your average terror leader, but rather a central figure in the Al-Qaeda organization. Abu Laith al-Libi was an Al-Qaeda training camp leader featured in numerous Internet videos.

He is also believed to be behind a Feb. 2007 bombing at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan during a visit by V.P. Dick Cheney that killed 23 people.

Al-Libi was among the 12 most wanted terrorists with a $200,000 dollar reward on his head.

All this business about the Pakistani ISI not knowing who fired the missile is comical, but the current political climate in Pakistan certainly justifies such statements.

The real story is one that has played out several times on Pakistani soil. U.S. forces are not allowed to openly operate in Pakistan, but an agreement was reached several years ago with Musharraf to allow Predator drones to track terrorists 24 hours a day in bad weather and good.

These are not your average Predator surveillance drones however, these are a special armed version called “Reapers” that are equipped with either Hellfire missiles or 500 lb. JDAM bombs.

The Reapers criss-cross the tribal regions in Pakistan searching for wanted terrorists and when one is spotted, what follows can best be described as “swift American justice.”

There is a high degree of probability that when Osama bin Laden is eventually “brought to justice” it will be in much the same fashion.

-Chris Jones 

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