CIA drone strike targets al-Qaida’s No. 2 in Pakistan

WASHINGTON – A CIA drone strike Monday targeted al-Qaida’s second in command, Abu Yahia al-Libi, in Pakistan, but it was unclear whether he was among those hit, U.S. officials said.

U.S. officials say fewer than five people were hit, although Pakistani officials say more than a dozen people were killed in two days of strikes in Pakistan. The CIA has carried out a half-dozen strikes in less than two weeks, as the U.S. pushes ahead with the controversial drone program despite Pakistani demands that it stop. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the classified drone program.

U.S. officials said they did not know yet whether al-Libi was among those killed, but said they were “optimistic.”