Senior Al-Qaida Operative Killed by U.S. Missile

WASHINGTON -- A U.S. government official says senior al-Qaida operations planner Saleh al-Somali was killed in an American missile strike Tuesday in western Pakistan.

Al-Somali was responsible for the terror group's operations outside the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, reaching into activities in Africa. The official said al-Somali has likely been involved in plotting attacks against the United States and Europe. He was killed by an unmanned drone missile Tuesday.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss covert operations.

Intelligence officials have confirmed that the pace of attacks by armed unmanned aerial vehicles, conducted largely by the CIA, has increased during the Obama administration.

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