WASHINGTON: U.S. intelligence officials said they were working Monday night to verify evidence that al Qaeda's number two figure, the leader of its virulent Yemen offshoot, has been killed.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to be quoted discussing a classified action. The Washington Post reported that Nasir al-Wuhayshi was targeted in a CIA drone strike last week.
Arab media, and extremists on Twitter, reported that al-Wuhayshi, a top lieutenant to al Qaida leader Ayman Al Zawahri, was killed in the strike. U.S. officials told The Associated Press they are investigating that possibility, while declining to confirm the CIA's role.
Al-Wuhayshi leads al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which is considered the terror group most capable of striking American interests.
