December 03, 2005, 16:15
Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani president, has confirmed that an Al-Qaeda commander ranking among the top five in Osama bin Laden's network, was killed in a tribal region of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan.
Abu Hamza Rabia, an Egyptian credited with heading Al-Qaeda's international operations, was among five militants killed in an explosion at a house where they were hiding in North Waziristan on Thursday.
Musharraf, arriving in Kuwait on an official visit, confirmed Rabia had been killed. While officials said the blast was caused by explosives stored in the house for bomb-making, residents said a helicopter fired rockets into the house at a village near Mir Ali in the tribal agency, just 30kms from Afghanistan where US forces are based.
Rashid Ahmed, the Pakistani information minister, said that Pakistani security agencies have been looking for Rabia for some time, adding that Rabia had been involved in two assassination attempts on Musharraf in December 2003.
Intelligence officials said Rabia escaped an attack by Pakistani security forces on November 5 but eight people, including his wife and children, were killed in that operation. - Reuters
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