Another American Killed in Strike on Anwar al-Awlaki

Anwar al-Awlaki wasn't the only American jihadist killed in a drone attack today. The airstrike also killed Samir Khan, a 20-something of Pakistani descent from North Carolina, Yemen's Defense Ministry tells the AP. Khan was the creator of "Inspire," al-Qaeda's English-language online magazine. In its first issue, Khan said he had moved to Yemen to "wage jihad for the rest of our lives." The issue also, appropriately enough, contained an interview with al-Awlaki.

The attack that killed both men was carried out by the same military unit that killed Osama bin Laden—the US Joint Special Operations Command—though this time it was a drone and a jet that delivered the blow, not a team of Navy SEALs. The killing of a US citizen has provoked some controversy, but within hours of the strike, US officials said they had intelligence to justify it, alleging that Awlaki sought to use cyanide and ricin to attack Westerners. (More Anwar al-Awlaki stories.)