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Al-Awlaki targeted in Yemen

From Barbara Starr, CNN Pentagon Correspondent
Officials say a U.S. airstrike targeting Anwar al-Awlaki appears to have killed two al Qaeda operatives.
Officials say a U.S. airstrike targeting Anwar al-Awlaki appears to have killed two al Qaeda operatives.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • A U.S. military drone fired at an area the cleric is known to have frequented, official says
  • Monday's raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan not linked to attack, official says
  • Two al Qaeda operatives affiliated with al-Awlaki appear to have been killed, official says

(CNN) -- A U.S. military drone fired a missile within the last 48 hours in Yemen aimed at the radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S. official told CNN Friday.

The missile was fired at an area in southern Yemen that al-Awlaki is known to have frequented, the official said.

The official said the targeting information was not the result of information gathered from the seizure Monday of materials from Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan.

A U.S. defense official confirmed that the drone was under the control of the American military -- not the CIA.

The defense official said the strike appears to have killed two al Qaeda operatives affiliated with al-Awlaki.

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