Senior Leader of Al Qaeda Killed In Pakistan

CAIRO, Egypt — Abu Laith al-Libi, a top Al Qaeda commander in Afghanistan who was blamed for bombing a base while Vice President Cheney was visiting last year, has been killed in Pakistan, according to a militant Web site.

Libi was a key link between the Taliban and Al Qaeda and was one of the Americans' 12 most-wanted men with a bounty of $200,000 on his head.

"He was martyred with a group of his brothers in the land of Muslim Pakistan," said the Web site, which frequently carries announcements from militant groups. "Though we are sad for his loss, he left a legacy that will inflame the enemy nation and religion."

The statement included Libi's picture. In an earlier announcement on the same site, a banner appeared in a section reserved for affiliated militant groups and not open to public posting.

"We congratulate the Islamic nation for the martyrdom of the sheik, the lion, Abu Laith al-Libi," it said.

Before the postings, there had been reports of an attack on militants in a Pakistani village. Pakistani intelligence officials and local residents said a missile hit a compound 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 foreigners were targeted in the attack.

One intelligence official in the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the bodies of those killed were badly mangled by the force of the explosion and it was difficult to identify them. The official estimated 12 people were killed, including Arabs, Turkemen from central Asia, and local Taliban members.

Two top officials of Pakistan's Interior Ministry said they could not confirm Libi's death and were still trying to gather details on the missile strike. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of 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." American-led coalition and NATO-led force in Afghanistan could not confirm Libi's death. An official with the NATO-led force said they were picking up some signals from the Web, but could not confirm whether Libi was dead.

"There is no confirmation from our side," a NATO official in Kabul said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.

Pakistani counterterrorism officials say he was an Al Qaeda spokesman and commander in eastern Afghanistan.

America says Libi — whose name means "the Libyan" in Arabic — was likely behind the February 2007 bombing at the American base at Bagram in Afghanistan during a visit by Mr. Cheney. The attack killed 23 people, but Mr. Cheney was deep inside the sprawling base and was not hurt. The bombing added to the impression that Western forces and the shaky government of President Karzai are vulnerable to assault by Taliban and Al Qaeda militants.

Libi also led an Al Qaeda training camp and appeared in a number of Al Qaeda Internet videos.