BBC news with Marion Marshal.
President Obama has confirmed that one of Al Qaeda's most influential figures, the American-born
cleric
Anwar al-Aulaqi has been killed in Yemen. He said Mr al-Aulaqi had taken a leading role in planning and directing efforts to murder innocent Americans and US would remain
vigilant
against terrorist threats.
"We make no mistake. There's further prove that Al Qaeda and its affiliates would find no safe haven anywhere in the world.
Working with Yemeni or other allies and partners we would be determined,
we would be deliberate, we would be relentless, we would be resolute in our commitment to destroy terrorist networks that aimed to kill Americans."
US and Yemeni officials earlier said Mr. al-Aulaqi's convoy was attacked by an American drone. The latest operation is also reported to have killed three other militants. Frank Gardner reports.
It was the briefest statement by the Yemeni government this morning that announced the biggest blow to Al Qaeda since the killing of Osama Bin laden this May. Possibly the organization's most inspirational cleric and ideologue in the middle east, Anwar al-Aulaqi has been killed in an
airstrike
in a joint US-Yemen operation. It follows a controvertial executive order signed by president Obama last year to hand down and kill al-Aulaqi who is a US citizen. Using the internet al-Aulaqi encourged his followers to attack western targets. He's been blamed for inspring US army major Nidal Hassan to kill his fellow soldiers in Texas.