Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Prominent Al-Qaida Figure Killed in US Drone Strike in Syria
Source: Associated Press
Prominent Al-Qaida Figure Killed in US Drone Strike in Syria
By BASSEM MROUE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
BEIRUT — Apr 8, 2016, 10:44 AM ET
A senior Egyptian al-Qaida figure fighting in Syria was killed in a U.S. drone strike this week, the latest to be killed in such attacks in Syria, a Syrian opposition monitoring group and relatives said Friday.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Rifai Ahmad Taha was killed in a strike Tuesday in the northwestern Idlib province.
Before joining al-Qaida, Taha was a top figure in Egypt's notorious militant group Gamaa Islamiya, which massacred 58 foreign tourists in the ancient Egyptian city of Luxor in 1997. He was also allied with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.
The Observatory's chief Rami Abdurrahman said several al-Qaida members, including Taha, were killed in Tuesday's strike. He said one of the dead was identified as Abu Omar al-Masri — which is Arabic for Abu Omar the Egyptian — but that it was not clear if Taha was using that name. Taha was believed to be in his 60s.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
By BASSEM MROUE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
BEIRUT — Apr 8, 2016, 10:44 AM ET
A senior Egyptian al-Qaida figure fighting in Syria was killed in a U.S. drone strike this week, the latest to be killed in such attacks in Syria, a Syrian opposition monitoring group and relatives said Friday.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Rifai Ahmad Taha was killed in a strike Tuesday in the northwestern Idlib province.
Before joining al-Qaida, Taha was a top figure in Egypt's notorious militant group Gamaa Islamiya, which massacred 58 foreign tourists in the ancient Egyptian city of Luxor in 1997. He was also allied with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.
The Observatory's chief Rami Abdurrahman said several al-Qaida members, including Taha, were killed in Tuesday's strike. He said one of the dead was identified as Abu Omar al-Masri — which is Arabic for Abu Omar the Egyptian — but that it was not clear if Taha was using that name. Taha was believed to be in his 60s.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/prominent-al-qaida-figure-killed-us-drone-strike-38248750
