AL QAEDA'S NO 2 ATIYAH ABD AL-RAHMAN KILLED

GOTCHA

HATE mongering terror group Al Qaeda is on its knees after its number two Atiyah Abd al-Rahman was gunned down in Pakistan. Like the piano player once was in the Grateful Dead, being Number 2 in Al Qaeda is a dangerous spot. While not as famous as their leader Osama Bin Laden, who was also killed earlier this year will strike right at the heart of the group because was an instrumental in running their day to day operations. 

The Libyan-born national joined bin Laden as a teenager in Afghanistan to fight the Soviet Union  and later went on to serve as his personal emissary to Iran. Computer's snatched from Bin Laden's
lair show he was completely trusted by the groups inner circle.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said last month that al-Qaida's defeat was within reach if the U.S. could mount a string of successful attacks.

He told USA Today: "Now is the moment, following what happened with bin Laden, to put maximum pressure on them because I do believe that if we continue this effort we can really cripple al-Qaeda as a major threat."

While senior figures have been killed before CIA Director David Petraeus thinks that if this strategy continues the group may be permanently damaged. 

He said: "It does hold the prospect of a strategic defeat, if you will, a strategic dismantling, of al-Qaeda." 

Egyptian leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who took over after Bin-Laden's death is still thought to be primary target, although al-Rahman's death will severely hamper his ability to conduct operations. 

A CIA official said: "Zawahiri needed Atiyah's experience and connections to help manage al-Qaida. He doesn't have that now."