US probing whether al-Qaeda number two killed in Syria

WASHINGTON: The American government is investigating whether al- Qaeda’s number two has been killed in Syria, an official told AFP Tuesday, amid reports of a US strike in or around Idlib.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that agencies were working to confirm whether Abu Khayr al-Masri is dead, in what would be a major counterterrorism coup for Donald Trump early in his presidency.

Al- Masri is a son-in-law of Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden and is believed to be deputy to the group’s current leader Ayman alZawahiri.

“Certainly if the reports are true it would be welcome news,” said Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis.

Trump has put tackling so-called “radical Islamic extremism” at the top of his political agenda.

He is currently considering a review of the fight against the Islamic State group, aiming to intensify the campaign and is poised to revive efforts to ban travels from certain Muslimmajority countries.

The revised travel ban could come as early as Wednesday, White House officials said.

Egypt-born al-Masri, 59, is one of the most prominent figures in al- Qaeda to have roots in the era before the September 11, 2001 attacks, according to the Soufan Group, a private security and intelligence consultancy.

“It was in al-Masri’s guesthouse in Kabul, Afghanistan, that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed briefed top al- Qaeda leaders about the planning of the September 11, 2001 attacks,” the Soufan Group said.

His presence in Syria’s northwestern Idlib underscores the importance that country has gained in al- Qaeda’s strategy, analysts said.

Al-Masri, also known as Abdullah Muhammad Rajab Abdulrahman, joined Zawahiri in the Egyptian Islamic Jihad group in the 1980s before they enlisted with Bin Laden in the 1990s. — AFP