Washington, Oct 2 (ANI): US Intelligence officials and terrorism experts have claimed that Yemen based al-Qaida's top spiritual leader Anwar al-Awlaki might have been killed, but the group, which has a number of prominent members with a deep hatred for the United States, will continue to seize any opportunity to wound the West.
"Eliminating any single person doesn't have a game-changing impact, and this won't. But it's a significant strike against al-Qaeda," The Washington Post quoted Representative Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), a member of the House intelligence committee, as saying.
Awlaki "had an almost unique ability to reach out to Westerners - he was good with technology, he was a good propagandist, he understood Western culture, and he could attract people that could travel with U.S. passports," he added.
According to US officials, Awlaki was a senior talent recruiter and motivator, who had also become "operational" as a planner and trainer "for Al-Qaeda and all of its franchises".
Awlaki's targeted killing was approved by US President Barack Obama, with the consent of the US National Security Council by April 2010, making him the first US citizen ever placed on the CIA target list. Awlaki's operational role and the imminence of the threat he posed led them in early 2010 to place him on a capture or kill list. (ANI)
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