Al Qaeda No. 2 killed in drone strike: US official

Abu Yahya al Libi, a Libyan-born top al Qaeda leader, was killed in a US drone strike in Pakistan earlier this week, a US official said on Tuesday.

US officials said that Abu Yahya had recently been considered by US counter-terrorism experts as the No. 2 in the core al Qaeda group led by Ayman al Zawahiri.

Zawahiri has headed the group since al Qaeda's founder, Osama bin Laden, was killed last year in a US commando raid on his hideout in Pakistan.

A US official said that Abu Yahya "was among al Qaeda's most experienced and versatile leaders" and that he "played a critical role in the group's planning against the West, providing oversight of the external operations efforts."