Anwar Al Awlaki, a US-born cleric linked to Al Qaeda’s Yemen-based wing, was killed in an air strike on Friday, Yemeni and US officials said. Awlaki’s killing, if confirmed, deprives Al Qaeda of an eloquent preacher seen as its most talented English-language propagandist who has advocated — and been implicated in — attacks on the United States. President Barack Obama declared Awlaki’s killing a “major blow” to Al Qaeda’s most active affiliate, and vowed a vigorous US campaign to prevent the terror network and its partners from finding safe haven anywhere in the world. Yemen’s Defence Ministry and US officials said they also believed a second Qaeda operative, Samir Khan, was killed at the same time, although this was not confirmed. ( from The Gulf Today )