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May 15, 2005
Predator Preys on Perp in Pakistan?
ABC News and others reported on Saturday that a CIA drone used a Hellfire missile to kill a high-ranking al Qaeda member inside Pakistan. Of course, the Pakistanis were quick to disavow the report (allowing the U.S. to roam Pakistan's skies and kill at will is not a popular political position in Pakistan). The CIA retreated into its favored "no comment" mode, but you can almost feel the satisfied grin on their face when you phone them to ask about it. I think the story is true, although the matter of whether to target—who has been watched for months—was really the replacement of Abu Faraj al-Libi (supposedly al Qaeda's no. 3) is a matter of sharp debate among the informed sources I contacted.
Posted by Richard Miniter at May 15, 2005 01:09 PM