Al-Qaeda's #3 man (by default) slain

Another one bites the dust. While this adversely affects that temporal entity known as al-Qaeda (which is good), it does not influence the eternal notion of jihad (which is bad). "Senior al Qaeda leader killed in Pakistan," by Saad Khan for Reuters, August 12:

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Senior Al Qaeda commander Abu Saeed al-Masri has been killed in recent clashes with Pakistani forces in a Pakistani region near the Afghan border, a security official said on Tuesday.

"He was believed to be among the top leadership of al Qaeda," the senior security official said on condition of anonymity.

Al-Masri, which means Egyptian, was the most senior al Qaeda operative to have been killed in Pakistan's tribal belt since the death of his compatriot, Abu Khabab al-Masri, an Qaeda chemical and biological weapons expert, last month.

Television channels identified the dead man as Mustafa Abu al-Yazid and said he was also known as Abu Saeed al-Masri.

He was killed in recent clashes in the Bajaur tribal region, a known sanctuary for al Qaeda operatives on the Afghan border, the security official said. ....