A missile from a US Predator drone struck a suspected terrorist safehouse in Pakistan and killed a top al-Qaida commander believed responsible for a bomb attack during a visit last year by Vice President Dick Cheney to Afghanistan, a US official said yesterday.

One of al-Qaida’s top commanders in Afghanistan, Abu Laith al-Libi, was killed in Pakistan according to a website used by militant groups.

An al-Qaida spokesman has called for unity among Islamic militants worldwide in a new recorded message, according to US intelligence.

An al-Qaida commander who escaped from a US prison in Afghanistan criticised Hamas and other Islamic groups in a new video today, accusing them of abandoning holy war in favour of nationalism and electoral politics.

An al-Qaida member who escaped from a US prison in Afghanistan urged his followers in a new video aired today to acquire nuclear technology.