Yemeni forces kill 'al-Qaeda leader'

RIA Novosti

13:58 30/09/2011 MOSCOW, September 30 (RIA Novosti) - Suspected al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki has been killed in Yemen, the country's defense ministry said on Friday.

A statement said the U.S.-born Alwaki was killed "along with some of his companions," al Jazeera television reported.

There were no further details of Alwaki's death.

U.S. President Barack Obama is believed to have personally ordered his killing, the BBC reported.

Alwaki has been linked to a number of terrorist attacks on the United States.

He has previously been the target of U.S. drone attacks.

In December last year, he survived an air strike in which at least 30 insurgents were killed.

In a video posted weeks earlier, Alwaki had called for the death of Americans.