A man described by counterterrorism officials as al Qaeda’s “military brain,” Ilyas Kashmiri, was killed in a drone strike Friday night in Pakistan at 11:15 p.m. Friday. The US drone attack targeted a compound in the Ghwakhwa area of South Waziristan, a Taliban stronghold.
The statement came from Harakat-ul-Jihad-Islami spokesman Abu Hanzla Kashar.
Ilyas Kashmiri was considered a possible successor to Osama Bin Laden as head of al-Qaeda.