“„Al Qaeda confirmed Mr. Masri’s death in a posting on Islamist Web sites Sunday, calling him an "expert" who left behind a generation of students. He was rumored to have been killed in a missile strike in a village in Pakistan’s northern tribal areas.
“„The timing of Mr. Masri’s death in the attack coincided with a visit to the U.S. by Pakistan’s new prime minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, who is under pressure to do more to combat Islamists on Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan.