MICHELE NORRIS, host:
U.S. counterterrorism officials tonight say two top al-Qaeda operatives have been killed in Pakistan. One is said to be al-Qaeda's chief of operations in Pakistan, the other his top lieutenant. The two men are identified as natives of Kenya and both have been wanted for years in connection with the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Joining us now for more on this breaking story is NPR's Tom Gjelten. Tom, what more can you tell us?
TOM GJELTEN: Well, Michele, first I need to say that it was the Washington Post that broke this story. We have, however, confirmed it on our own. U.S. counterterrorism officials tell me that two men were killed in a strike on an al-Qaeda facility in Pakistan. They've been identified as Fahid Msalam and Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan. If, in fact, this report is correct, Michele, it would be a significant strike.
We know something about the histories of these two men because both of them were indicted for those alleged roles in the embassy bombings in East Africa. Msalam, who's said to be 32 years old, is the younger of the two, but U.S. officials say he's been the chief of al-Qaeda operations in Pakistan. In fact, they're said to have been behind the bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad in September where more than 50 people died. So if true, Michele, this would be a big deal, very significant, in the words of a counterterrorism official.
NORRIS: Now, Tom, if they were wanted in connection with the embassy bombings in Africa all the way back in 1998, they've been pursued for a very long time. Why did this take so long?
GJELTEN: Indeed. In fact, Michele, they've been on the FBI's most wanted list of 32 most wanted terrorists. For each of them, the U.S. government has offered a five million dollar reward, but no information was provided. There was no successful pursuit of them. We don't know how they were killed. Evidently they were - according to U.S. official, they were killed in a strike on a building used for explosives training. U.S. counterterrorism officials won't say more than that. We do know, Michele, that since August, the CIA has been conducting rigorous missile strikes on al-Qaeda targets in Pakistan from unmanned aircraft.
NORRIS: And despite the operation that actually led to the killing, how might the CIA actually put together the pieces to track them down in Pakistan?
GJELTEN: Well, the CIA and the Pentagon have been working very closely, especially since last summer, on coordinated actions that involve, in a couple of cases even ground troops as well as sophisticated surveillance of telephone communications, Internet trafficking, and human sources on the ground who have been able to identify where some of these al-Qaeda operatives are hanging out.
NORRIS: Tom, what is the significance of this taking place in Pakistan?
GJELTEN: Well, one of the things that I think it shows, Michele, is that the targeting of al-Qaeda, the war against al-Qaeda in these border areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, is still going ahead full-blast. You know, there was some concern that Pakistan was sort of losing its interest in this battle. This, if it's true, this would show that this war against al-Qaeda is going ahead full-blast.
NORRIS: Should we assume that Pakistan authorities may have assisted in some way in this?
GJELTEN: I think inevitably they had to have some role.
NORRIS: That's NPR's Tom Gjelten. Thanks so much, Tom.
GJELTEN: You're welcome, Michele.