Al Qaeda leader escaped,and 20 killed and injured in two airstrikes

By Nasser Arrabyee /14/07/2011

Al Qaeda leader survived an assassination attempt by  a US drone in the southern Yemen on Thursday   said local residents.

Fahd Al Qusu,a leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), survived the airstrike which targeted his car in the area between Shakra and Zinjubar in the southern  province of Abyan at the dawn of Thursday.

Al Qusu,  one of the most wanted for the CIA for participating in attacking on the USS Cole in 2000, along with a group of his aides, left the car on the side of the road minutes before the airstrips,according to a source close to the group.

About one hour earlier,some 20 Al Qaeda fighters were killed and injured in an airstrike while in a meeting inside  a police station overrun by them in Al Wadyia,in the same province of Abyan which is almost under the control of AQAP and some other  groups allied with it  such ad  Ansar Al Shariah,Partisans of Shariah.


At least 8 Al Qaeda operatives were killed including the  leader , Hadi Mohammed Ali, Abu Bilal, and 12 others injured according  to the same source.

The developments came after the local tribesmen showed great cooperation with the government troops, especially from the tribes of Al Hasani,(tribe of the minister of defense), tribes  of Mayser, and Belil.

 Local tribal  sources expected more operations and defeats against Al Qaeda in the coming few days.