Al Qaeda’s third-in-command, “Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, a 54-year-old Egyptian, perished in a May 21 [2010] missile strike in North Waziristan, the Pakistani tribal area where many al-Qaeda leaders have taken refuge, according to U.S. and Pakistani officials, as well as an Internet statement al-Qaeda released Monday [May 31, 2010]. …’We welcome his demise,’ White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday. …According to Gibbs, this particular No. 3 was described by John O. Brennan, the top White House counterterrorism adviser, as ‘the biggest target to be either killed or captured in five years.’ ”
– Craig Whitlock and Greg Miller, “Al-Qaeda is Likely to Replace No. 3 leader with Ease,” The Washington Post, June 2, 2010