Senior al-Qaeda leader killed by US airstrike in Libya

By Safvan Allahverdi

WASHINGTON

The U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said Wednesday that a senior al-Qaeda leader was killed in an airstrike in Libya over the weekend.

Musa Abu Dawud, a high-ranking leader of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), was one of two militants killed in the March 24 airstrike in the southwestern town of Ubari, Africom said in a written statement.

"Now that operational reporting and the battle damage assessment is fully complete, the command is able to confirm the death of Dawud,” Africom added.

According to Africom, Abu Dawud was responsible for training AQIM recruits in Libya for attack operations against U.S. and Western interests in the region and provided logistics support, funding and weapons to AQIM.

AQIM is a branch of al-Qaeda operating in North Africa.

The Authorization for Use of Military Force resolution passed in 2001 following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks gives the president the authority to conduct military operations against al-Qaeda and affiliated groups across the globe.

Libya has been dogged by political instability since the 2011 ouster and death of long-ruling strongman Muammar Gaddafi.

Since then, rival militias have frequently locked horns, often bringing violence to the country's main cities, including the capital Tripoli.