Al-Qaida leader may have died in attack

A US official has claimed a senior member of Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network may have been killed in a missile attack in south-eastern Afghanistan.

The anonymous official said an unmanned Predator aircraft fired the missile on Monday at a group of men who had gathered, apparently for a meeting. The location of the attack is unknown.

US authorities have claimed that seven top al-Qaida officials have been killed and three captured during the war on terrorism.

An additional 15 al-Qaida leaders are unaccounted for, including Osama bin Laden.