Al-Qaeda sub-continent branch Thursday confirmed the death in a U.S. drone strike of a leader, Adil Qudoos, who had helped senior al-Qaeda leader, Khalid Sheikh Muhammad.

Sheikh Kahlid was arrested in 2003 from the house of Ahmad Qudoos, the brother of Adil Qudoos, in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi. The U.S. had accused Sheikh of mass murder and he was identified as "the principal architect of the 9/11 attacks" by the 9/11 Commission Report.

Adil Qudoos was a major in the Pakistan army and a military court had later awarded him a six-year sentence after his arrest in the northwestern city of Kohat in March 2003.

He had joined al-Qaeda since his release in 2008 and moved to North Waziristan tribal region along with his family members.

The al-Qaeda sub-continent spokesman, Usama Mehmood, confirmed the death of Adil, his brother-in-law Dr. Sarbuland Khan and his two sons Uzair and Suleman, aged 13 and 15. Dr. Sarbuland was known among the militants as Abu Khalid, who had also run an hospital in North Waziristan to treat the injured militants.

The al-Qaeda spokesman said that all died in the drone strike along the Pak-Afghan border on November 9.

"When the American forces failed to arrest them during clashes, the foreign troops sought air support and the drone struck their locations," the spokesman said in a statement.

"The Americans are claiming to be the champions of the children rights, but their drone targeted children," Usama Mehmood said.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)