US claims killing Qaeda's operational chief in Pakistan

Talking to Dunya News on conditions of anonymity, a highly-placed senior US administration official confirmed the death of Abu Hafs al-Shahri in an attack last week. It has been confirmed that al Qaeda’s chief of Pakistan operations, Abu Hafs al-Shahri, was killed earlier this week in Waziristan, Pakistan,” the official said.The official observed that Abu Hafs’ death will further degrade al Qaedas ability to recover from the death last month of Al-Qaedas number two, Atiyah Abdul Rehman. The official, however, declined narrating details of operation that killed Abu Hafs or whether he was killed in a drone strike.Al-Qaeda will no more be able to rely on his operations experience and connections within the group, the official asserted while arguing that Abu Hafs death removes a key threat inside Pakistan, where he collaborated closely with Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan to conduct coordinated attacks. --contributed by Awais Saleem, Dunya News correspondent in Washington