Libyan al-qaeda chief killed in US air strike

AN AL-QAEDA leader has been killed by the first US air strike against the group in Libya, underscoring the growing terrorist presence in the country’s south.

Musa Abu Dawud was killed with another al-qaeda operative near Ubari, in Libya’s ungoverned south-west, the US military’s Africa command said. He was in charge of training and recruitment for al-qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). He was also accused of masterminding operations in neighbouring Algeria and Tunisia. The US air strike happened last Tuesday but Dawud’s identity was only disclosed yesterday.

“He provided critical logistics support, funding and weapons to AQIM, enabling the terrorist group to threaten and attack US and western interests in the region,” Africom said.

While officials said 250 fighters remain in the hills and valleys south of Sirte, attention has moved to Libya’s lawless southern desert. “We believe there are around 500 terrorists in the south, near to Ubari,” Ismail Shukri, military intelligence chief for Libya’s central region, told The Daily Telegraph.