It’s not Bin Laden but that’s all we know so far. Consider this a solicitation for tips if you stumble across any stories ID’ing the suspect. Bill Roggio posted an item earlier today about a drone attack in South Waziristan that killed four Al Qaeda members so I assume our target was among that group:
The strike, carried out by unmanned Predator or Reaper attack aircraft, hit a Taliban “hideout” in Tanga in the Ladha region in South Waziristan. Ladha is one of several Taliban strongholds that were the target of the Pakistani Army’s offensive against the Mehsud branch of the Taliban in South Waziristan.
Four al Qaeda operatives and two Taliban fighters were killed in the attack, according to reports from the region. “Eyewitnesses said the toll could be mount,” Geo News reported. It is not known if senior al Qaeda or Taliban commanders were killed in the attack…
Al Qaeda fighters are known to have harbored in the Ladha region in South Waziristan. The US has conducted seven airstrikes in Ladha since 2008, two of which have killed dangerous al Qaeda and Taliban commanders.
Ladha is also where Taliban chieftain Baitullah Mehsud received his one-way ticket to meet Allah. I’m surprised AQ is still in the area given the Pakistani military’s offensive into South Waziristan, as plenty of Taliban took the chance to escape before the guns started firing.
This is some exclamation point on The One’s speech this morning. Stand by for updates.
Update: CBS says it’s not Zawahiri either.
