Top Al-Qaeda militant Awlaki killed in Yemen: government

Awlaki was killed about 8 kilometres from the Yemeni town of Khashef,east of the capital,Sanaa,said Mohammed Basha,a Yemen Embassy spokesman in Washington.

A senior US administration official confirmed al- Awlaki’s death,CNN reported.

Awlaki,of Yemeni descent,was on the run in Yemen since December 2007. The US regards the 40-year-old al-Awlaki as the biggest threat to its homeland security and named him a “specially designated global terrorist” for his alleged role in a number of attacks.

Born in New Mexico,Awlaki,eloquent in English and Arabic,preached at a mosque in Virginia before leaving the United States for the Middle East.

US officials say Awlaki helped recruit Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab,the Nigerian charged with trying to blow up a transatlantic flight as it landed in Detroit on December 25,2009.

Awlaki is also said to have exchanged emails with accused Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hassan who killed a dozen fellow soldiers and a civilian in a rampage at the Texas base.