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Al Qaeda's No. 3 leader Mustafa Abu Yazid. (Xinhua/AFP File photo)
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by Imdad Hussain
ISLAMABAD, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Perishing of Al-Qaeda No. 3 is certainly a setback to the organization itself but has little influence on the militancy in Pakistan and the region, experts said Tuesday.
Al-Qaeda reportedly announced Monday that its No. 3 leader, Mustafa Abu Yazid, had been killed along with members of his family. A U.S. official said Yazid was believed to have been killed in a U.S. missile strike in Pakistan-Afghanistan border area.
Senior analyst Rahimullah Yousafzai told Xinhua that in his view Yazid was killed in a drone attack in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal area on May 21.
Yazid, an Egyptian national, is believed to be a financial manager for Al-Qaeda, as well as a co-founder of the terrorist group, according to reports.
Top leadership and most of its other leaders of Al-Qaeda are foreigners, mostly Arabs. For its existence Al-Qaeda now depends on the local like-minded militants' groups in Pakistan and if they refuse to provide protections or hides to the organization, once perceived as world most dangerous organization, then its leadership couldn't survive on its own, Yousafzai said.
