Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani claims United States government officials have confirmed the death al Qaeda’s military leader. Ilyas Kashmiri, who was considered to have been a top contender to take over as head of al Qaeda following the death of Osama bin Laden last month, is said to have died Friday night in a U.S. drone strike in South Waziristan.
"The U.S. has confirmed that Ilyas Kashmiri was killed on Friday," Gilani said Monday at a press conference in Quetta, Balochistan province.
Gilani did not offer details on how he received confirmation of Kashmiri’s death. Kashmiri’s jihadist group, Harakat-ul-Jihad-Islami, has also confirmed his death and the deaths of several other followers. Kashmiri, 47, was wanted by the United States and had a $5 million bounty on his head. He is responsible for planning several deadly attacks in Pakistan and India.
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