Awlaqi son among militants killed in Yemen strikes

A son of US-born Al-Qaeda cleric Anwar Al-Awlaqi was among seven suspected jihadist militants killed in a trio of apparent US air stikes in Yemen, a member of his tribe said on Saturday. "Abderrahman Anwar al-Awlaqi was killed in the raid," the tribal source told AFP, adding that he had received confirmation from the militant-controlled Yemeni hospital where the dead and wounded from Friday evening's strikes were taken. Awlaqi himself was killed in a US drone stike on September 30, which US President Barack Obama hailed as a "major blow" to Al-Qaeda worldwide. US intelligence officials believe Awlaqi was linked to a US army major charged with shooting dead 13 people in Fort Hood, Texas, and to a Nigerian student accused of trying to blow up a US airliner on December 25, 2009. He was also believed to be the leader of external operations of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Pensinsula.