U.S. Missile, al-Qaida Death May Be Linked ( Marked: US )

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MIRAN SHAH, Pakistan - Shrapnel that appeared to be from an American-made missile was found Sunday at the house where Pakistan said a top al-Qaida operative was killed in an explosion, although President Bush's national security adviser declined to confirm the death.

U.S. and Pakistani officials declined to confirm an NBC report, citing anonymous officials, that the attack on the house where Hamza Rabia reportedly died was launched by a U.S. drone.

But local residents found at least two pieces of shrapnel at the blast scene inscribed with the designation of the Hellfire missile, which is carried by the U.S. Air Force's unmanned, remote-controlled Predator aircraft.

The metal pieces bore the designator "AGM-114," the words "guided missile" and the initials "US."

John Pike, director of the defense Web site GlobalSecurity.org, said the Hellfire is used almost exclusively by the U.S. military. Al-Qaida operatives would be unlikely to have Hellfire missiles, Pike said, although he said the possibility could not be completely discounted.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051204/ap_on_re_as/pakistan_al_qaida_killed



People show wreckage of a missile they found in the house where authorites reportedly killed five people including a key associate of al-Qaida Hamza Rabia, Thursday in Hesory 25 kilmeters (15 miles) east of Miran Shah in Pakistani tribal along the Afghanistan border, Sunday, Dec 4, 2005. Debris and a witness account Sunday backed reports that the explosion which killed al-Qaida's operational commander and his two bodyguards was caused by a U.S. missile attack, possibly from an unmanned Predator aircraft. (AP Photo/Abdullah Noor)