Al-Qaida bomb-maker killed?

WASHINGTON — An apparent U.S. missile strike on a compound in northwestern Pakistan killed six people early Monday, including a man believed to be a top al-Qaida operative and key figure in the terrorist group's production of chemical weapons and conventional explosives, U.S. and Pakistani sources said.

The death of Abu Khabab al-Masri, if confirmed, would be the most significant blow to al-Qaida's leadership in at least six months. The Egyptian-born chemical engineer is believed to have trained a generation of al-Qaida fighters in bomb-making, and he once spearheaded the group's efforts to make biological and chemical weapons.

The strike, reportedly carried out by CIA-operated Predator drone, coincided with a visit to Washington by Pakistan's new prime minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, whose government has complained to the Bush administration about unilateral U.S. strikes against suspected terrorist bases in Pakistan.

It also came as Pakistani commanders told Pentagon officials they would move a major army unit into the tribal areas on Pakistan's lawless western border. A fully trained and equipped army unit would represent a change long sought by U.S. officials in Islamabad's stance toward the troubled region.

Monday's pre-dawn missile attack occurred on the grounds of a former religious school in South Waziristan, less than 3 miles from the Afghanistan border. Local officials reported six killed, including four Egyptian nationals and two Pakistanis.

Two local Taliban sources in the area confirmed a top al-Qaida leader was killed and said the man was believed to be al-Masri. U.S. officials also cited early indications Masri, 54, was among the victims, although they were still awaiting confirmation. Masri has been reported in the past to have been killed and then shown up alive.

"There is a sense that he may no longer be with us," said one senior U.S. official familiar with intelligence reports about the strike. "If the reports are true, it would be a significant victory."

Al-Masri, a top aide to No. 2 al-Qaida commander Ayman al-Zawahiri, had run explosives-training camps in Afghanistan before the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, and had more recently conducted training for al-Qaida recruits in bases along the Afghan-Pakistani border.

He is on the State Department's list of 37 most-wanted terrorists; there is a $5 million reward for his capture.

The incident threatened to overshadow Gilani's first trip to the United States as Pakistan's prime minister, a visit in which both Gilani and President Bush sought to play down growing tensions. They leaders stressed the positive in their Rose Garden comments, with Bush calling Pakistan an ally and Gilani saying Pakistani "is committed to fight" those he said are waging war against Pakistan itself.

However, neither leader mentioned the Pakistani army plans to move troops into the area. But Pakistan officials have told U.S. military officials that they are planning to use the country's XI Corps, which is based in the Waziristan, to interdict militants. The Pakistanis have told U.S. officials they have identified key border-crossing routes where they plan to station army units.

Pakistan's tribal areas have been identified as both a refuge for al-Qaida and a base from which rebels mount attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan.