US military confirms airstrike killed USS Cole bombing suspect Jamal al-Badawi in Yemen
WASHINGTON – The U.S. military confirmed that an al-Qaida operative suspected in the 2000 suicide bombing attack on the USS Cole was killed in Yemen in a New Year's Day airstrike.
"U.S. CENTCOM has confirmed that Jamal al-Badawi was killed in a precision strike," U.S. Central Command said in a tweet Sunday. "Jamal al-Badawi was an al Qaeda operative involved in the USS Cole bombing. U.S. forces confirmed the results of the strike following a deliberate assessment process."
On Friday, Navy Capt. Bill Urban, the U.S. Central Command spokesman, had said U.S. forces were aware of the reports of al-Badawi's death and were trying to confirm the death.
U.S. CENTCOM has confirmed that Jamal al-Badawi was killed in a precision strike in Marib governate, Jan. 1.
Jamal al-Badawi was an al Qaeda operative involved in the USS Cole bombing. U.S. forces confirmed the results of the strike following a deliberate assessment process.— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 6, 2019
Al-Badawi was indicted in 2003 on 50 terrorism-related counts, including the murder of U.S. citizens and military personnel, Urban said. The alleged terrorist escaped from Yemeni custody twice, once in 2004 and again in 2007, and the FBI had offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
Trump tweeted his enthusiasm at the news on Sunday, writing, "Our GREAT MILITARY has delivered justice for the heroes lost and wounded in the cowardly attack on the USS Cole."
Our GREAT MILITARY has delivered justice for the heroes lost and wounded in the cowardly attack on the USS Cole. We have just killed the leader of that attack, Jamal al-Badawi. Our work against al Qaeda continues. We will never stop in our fight against Radical Islamic Terrorism!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2019
On Oct. 12, 2000, two suicide bombers drove a small boat loaded with explosives into the hull of the USS Cole while the destroyer refueled in Yemen. Seventeen sailors were killed in the attack.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US military confirms airstrike killed USS Cole bombing suspect Jamal al-Badawi in Yemen
