Friends and relatives of Anwar al Awlaki say he may not have even attended the meeting of suspected Al Qaeda operatives targeted in the attack.
Sana, Yemen – A U.S.-born radical cleric is alive after reports he may have been killed in a Yemeni airstrike against a suspected Al Qaeda hide-out, friends and relatives said Friday.
The government said it targeted a meeting of high-level Al Qaeda operatives in Thursday’s airstrike in the remote province of Shabwa. It claimed that at least 30 militants were killed, possibly including Anwar al Awlaki, a radical cleric who has been linked to the accused gunman in last month’s attack at the Ft. Hood military base in Texas.
On Friday, a friend of the cleric, Abu Bakr al Awlaki, said he was not among those killed. He refused to say if the cleric was attending the meeting.
Abu Bakr al Awlaki was in Shabwa after the strike and was in contact with the gunmen in control of the area. He is not related to the cleric, but the two are from the same tribe.
Yemeni officials still have no access to the area, which is controlled by gunmen and supporters of Al Qaeda.
People close to the cleric said it was unlikely that Awlaki would be attending a field meeting convened by fighters because he saw his role as a scholar, one who gives religious advice and issues rulings.
The cleric’s brother said he also received assurances that his older sibling was still alive.
A tribal chief in Shabwa, who gave only his alias, Abu Mohammed, said he was informed that Alwaki is alive and unharmed.
Residents of the area and relatives of those killed say six bodies have been retrieved.