Abu Yahya al-Libi, the No. 2 man in al Qaeda and a long-time public face of the network, is dead, White House spokesman Jay Carney said yesterday.
Al-Libi's death was "another serious blow to core al Qaeda," said Carney.
"His death is part of the degradation taking place in core al Qaeda in the last several years," Carney said.
Earlier yesterday, U.S. officials said that al-Libi was killed Monday by a CIA drone strike in Pakistan.
Al-Libi's death marks one of the most significant blows to al Qaeda since the U.S. military killed Osama bin Laden in a daring nighttime raid in Pakistan a year ago.
Al-Libi was second-in-command behind al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who took the helm after bin Laden's death.
"There is no one who even comes close in terms of replacing the expertise (al Qaeda) has just lost," said a U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Al-Libi "played a critical role in the group's planning against the West, providing oversight of the external operations efforts," the official said.
"Zawahiri will be hard-pressed to find any one person who can readily step into Abu Yahya's shoes," the official said.
"In addition to his gravitas as a longstanding member of AQ's leadership, Abu Yahya's religious credentials gave him the authority to issue fatwas, operational approvals and guidance to the core group in Pakistan and regional affiliates."
Monday's strike was the third such deadly attack in as many days and the 21st suspected U.S. drone strike in Pakistan this year. At least six missiles were fired at a militant compound near the town of Mir Ali in the North Waziristan region near the Afghanistan border.
CNN