Drone Strike Killed Al Qaeda's No.2（在线收听）

Al Qaeda's second-in-command was killed in a Central Intelligence Agency drone strike in the tribal areas of Pakistan, U.S. officials said Tuesday.

Abu Yahya al-Libi was in charge of al Qaeda's operations at the highest level and was the group's point man for maintaining connections with al Qaeda affiliates around the world.

He was one of the terrorist group's 'most experienced and versatile leaders' who played 'a critical role in the group's planning against the West,' said one U.S. official.

A popular al Qaeda commander, Mr. Libi rose to prominence after he escaped from the U.S. detention center at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan in July 2005.

He ascended to the No. 2 post in al Qaeda after his predecessor was killed in August.

After Monday's drone strike, al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri 'will be hard-pressed to find any one person who can readily step into Abu Yahya's shoes,' the U.S. official said. 'There is no one who even comes close in terms of replacing the expertise AQ has just lost.'

Siobhan Gorman

AFP/Getty Images美国官员周二说，基地组织二号人物阿利比在美国中央情报局发动的无人机空袭中被击毙，空袭地点在巴基斯坦部落地区。

美国官员周二说，基地组织(Al Qaeda)二号人物在美国中央情报局(Central Intelligence Agency)发动的无人机空袭中被击毙，空袭地点在巴基斯坦部落地区。

阿布?亚哈?阿利比(Abu Yahya al-Libi)生前是负责基地组织行动的最高级别领导人，也是该组织维持与全球分支机构关系的负责人。

Associated Press美国官员称，基地组织二号人物阿利比在巴基斯坦的一次无人机空袭中被击毙。该次空袭行动遭到巴基斯坦民众的抗议。一位美国官员说，阿利比是这个恐怖主义组织中经验最丰富的多面手领导人之一，在该组织制定对抗西方的计划中扮演关键角色。

阿利比是一位受欢迎的基地组织指挥官。2005年7月，他从美国设在阿富汗巴格拉姆空军基地(Bagram Air Base)的拘留所中逃脱，之后名声大振。

继前任去年8月被击毙后，阿利比跃升为基地组织的“二把手”。

这位美国官员说，在周一的无人机空袭后，基地组织现任领导人扎瓦希里(Ayman al-Zawahiri)在物色阿利比的接替者时将面临很大压力。这位官员说，还没有人有足够的能力可以替代阿利比。