Haitham al-Yemeni
Encyclopedia
Haitham al-Yemeni (?? – May 2005) was an al Qaeda explosives expert from Yemen
. He was killed in North Waziristan
, northwest Pakistan
, near the Afghanistan
border, in early March 2005 in a drone attack
by an unmanned CIA-operated RQ-1 Predator
aircraft. The CIA has not yet released a statement about his death, such a report may be sensitive due to the killing having taken place in Pakistani territory. Additionally, Pakistan Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has so far also denied that this incident took place.
Al-Yemeni may have been in line to replace Abu Faraj al-Libbi
as the global operations chief of al Qaeda, though other sources deny his importance. (This would have placed him roughly third in the organization.) The killing was ordered by the CIA due to fears that he was about to go into hiding.
Note: Various news sources spell his first name as "Haitham" or "Haithem".
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
. He was killed in North Waziristan
North Waziristan
North Waziristan is the northern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering . Waziristan comprises the area west and south-west of Peshawar between the Tochi river to the north and the Gomal river to the south, forming part of Pakistan's...
, northwest Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, near the Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
border, in early March 2005 in a drone attack
Drone attacks on Pakistan by the United States of America
The United States government, led by the Central Intelligence Agency's Special Activities Division, has made a series of attacks on targets in northwest Pakistan since 2004 using drones . These attacks are part of the US' War on Terrorism campaign, seeking to defeat Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants...
by an unmanned CIA-operated RQ-1 Predator
RQ-1 Predator
The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator is an unmanned aerial vehicle used primarily by the United States Air Force and Central Intelligence Agency...
aircraft. The CIA has not yet released a statement about his death, such a report may be sensitive due to the killing having taken place in Pakistani territory. Additionally, Pakistan Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has so far also denied that this incident took place.
Al-Yemeni may have been in line to replace Abu Faraj al-Libbi
Abu Faraj al-Libbi
Abu Faraj al-Libi is an assumed name or nom de guerre of a Libyan alleged to be a senior member of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization. His real name is thought to be Mustafa al-'Uzayti. He was arrested by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence on May 2, 2005, in Mardan...
as the global operations chief of al Qaeda, though other sources deny his importance. (This would have placed him roughly third in the organization.) The killing was ordered by the CIA due to fears that he was about to go into hiding.
Note: Various news sources spell his first name as "Haitham" or "Haithem".