Qaeda weapons expert slain in Waziristan strike

Peshawar, July 29 : Pakistan security officials have claimed that a top Al Qaeda chemical and biological weapons expert was killed in a suspected US missile strike in the Tribal Areas on Monday.

The Egyptian militant Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri, had a five million-dollar bounty on his head and allegedly ran terrorist training camps in Afghanistan.

"We believe he was killed in this strike. It was his hide-out and information that has been shared with us says he was targeted in this strike," the Daily Times quoted an unidentified senior intelligence official as telling a foreign news agency.

Officials had earlier claimed that three Arab militants and three Pakistani children were killed when missiles fired by a suspected US drone hit a house attached to a mosque in the South Waziristan tribal district bordering Afghanistan.

The Pakistan Army said it was still seeking confirmation. "We are facing difficulties in getting to know what kind of incident it was. We have not yet received any authentic information from the area from our teams," said Pakistan military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas, according to the paper.

ANI