Nasir al-Wuhayshi was al-Qaeda`s No. 2 figure and leader of its Yemeni affiliate, al-Qaeda in the the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
In a video statement released early Tuesday by AQAP`s media wing, the group confirmed his death and said his deputy, Qassim al-Rimi, has been named its new leader.
Tweets from the group`s operatives had spoken of al-Wuhayshi having been martyred, CNN reported Monday.
Al-Wuhayshi was the deputy of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri and once served as Osama bin Laden`s personal secretary.
Al-Qaeda says U.S. strike killed top Yemen leader
16 June 2015
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A top al-Qaeda leader has been killed in a U.S. airstrike, the extremist group confirmed Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
