This Article is From Oct 02, 2011

US warns of revenge attacks after hits on Al Qaeda

US warns of revenge attacks after hits on Al Qaeda
Washington: The United States warned its nationals today of the "potential for retaliation" after two key Al Qaeda figures were killed in an air raid in Yemen.

The State department issued a global travel alert to US citizens, a day after Washington confirmed that US-Yemeni citizen Anwar al-Awlaqi, the external operations leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), was killed.

"Awlaqi's standing as a preeminent English-language advocate of violence could potentially trigger anti-American acts worldwide to avenge his death," the State Department said in its alert.

"In the past, Awlaqi and other members of AQAP have called for attacks against the United States, US citizens and US interests," it added.

Yemen's Defence Ministry said Awlaqi, an Al Qaeda leader, was killed on Saturday morning, while a man wounded in the attack was quoted as saying seven people were killed in the air strike in Marib province, a hotbed of Al Qaeda activity.

The ministry said among those killed was Pakistani-American Samir Khan.

New York City police commissioner Ray Kelly has described Khan as the publisher of Al Qaeda's English-language magazine Inspire.

Kelly said today that his force was on alert following the killing in Yemen of Awlaqi, acknowledging the US-born Islamic cleric's sympathisers might seek revenge.

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