Add Abu Obeida al-Masri to a growing list of high-ranking Al-Qaeda operatives who've met their demise in the tribal regions of Pakistan over the last few months. But unlike other deceased AQ heavy hitters, most notably Abu Laith al-Libi and possibly even Adam Gadahn, al-Masri's death apparently came not by U.S. missile, but disease. Here's more, from CBN News:
Al-Masri died of natural causes, apparently hepatitis, sometime in the last several months, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
The official said al-Masri was "a senior external operations planner" for al-Qaeda. He said he has been linked to the 2006 plot to blow up multiple airliners with liquid explosives traveling between the United Kingdom and the United States and Canada. He has also been linked to the July 7, 2005 bombings in London.
Add that to al-Masri's status as Al-Qaeda's "chief of external operations" (which means he was in charge of directing attacks against Western targets, as exemplified by his aforementioned role in the London bombings and airliner plot)) and you have one very big fish, one who'd been identified as one of the standard-bearers for the new generation of Al-Qaeda. His death is a blow to the group, and hopefully a lasting one that will have an effect on its operational planning..