Al Qaeda No. 2 killed, U.S. official says

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Al Qaeda's second-in-command, Atiya Abdul Rahman, has been killed in Pakistan, a U.S. official said Saturday. The official would not discuss the circumstances behind his death, but did say Rahman is a key loss for al Qaeda. <a href="http://www.theapparelend.com/index.php"><strong>replica G-star men jeans on sale</strong></a> &quot;There's no question this is a major blow to al Qaeda. Atiya was at the top of al Qaeda's trusted core,&quot; the official said. &quot;He ran daily operations for the group since Shaykh Sa'id al-Masri was killed last year, and has been (Osama bin Laden successor Ayman al-Zawahiri's) second-in-command since bin Laden's death in May.&quot; Rahman's death will affect al Qaeda's ties to its affiliates, as well as Zawahiri's ability to gain complete control over the terrorist group, the official said. &quot;Atiya was the one affiliates knew and trusted, and he spoke on behalf of both (bin Laden and Zawahiri). <a href="http://www.theapparelend.com/index.php"><strong>wholesale replica soccer jersey</strong></a> He planned the details of al Qaeda operations and its propaganda. &quot;His combination of background, experience and abilities are unique in al Qaeda -- without question, they will not be easily replaced,&quot; the official said. &quot;Zawahiri needed Atiya's experience and connections to help manage al Qaeda. Now it will be even harder for him to consolidate control,&quot; he added. Zawahiri took control of al Qaeda after bin Laden was killed in a clandestine U.S. <a href="http://www.theapparelend.com/men-shoes-dg-c-1017_1093.html"><strong>D&G men dress shoes on sale</strong></a> raid in Pakistan in May. Rahman used to be bin Laden's operations chief.Pam Benson reported from Washington, D.C. CNN's Reza Sayah contributed to this report from Islamabad.