WASHINGTON, May 7 (UPI) -- Osama bin Laden's possible al-Qaida successor, Anwar al-Awlaki, was targeted but missed by a U.S. drone attack in Yemen, military officials said.
Pentagon officials said an unmanned aircraft bombed a remote compound Thursday, targeting the U.S.-born al-Awlaki, The New York Times reported Saturday.
There were casualties, but al-Awlaki was not among them, unidentified military officials told the Times.
Since locating and killing bin Laden in Pakistan Sunday, the U.S. intelligence community's concern has been to identify the apparent heir to the leadership of the Muslim terrorist group.
The Times said al-Awlaki is considered a threat because he was born in the United States and his fluency in English. He is considered to be instrumental in recruiting al-Qaida guerrillas in Western countries.
He regularly posts jihadist messages on the Internet and the CIA alleges he is recruiting English-speaking militants to join the Muslim crusade, the report said.
The U.S. drone attack in Yemen was the first in the country since 2002 and came amid civil unrest calling for the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
