The statement, whose authenticity could not be independently confirmed, was dated July 30 and signed by al-Qaeda’s top Afghan leader, Mustafa Abu al-Yazeed. It was posted on an Islamic militant website where al-Qaeda usually issues official statements and videos of its leaders.

The statement made no mention of an airstrike killing the four commanders, and did not say how or when they died.

Abu Khabab al-Masri is a pseudonym, meaning “father of the trotting horse, the Egyptian”.

The other three slain leaders also seemed to be Egyptians, since their pseudonyms included the name “al-Masri” - but little is known about them. The statement identified them as Abu Mohammed Ibrahim bin Abi Farag al-Masri, Abdul-Wahab al-Masri and Abu Islam al-Masri.

It gave no details about them, beyond calling Abu Mohammed “the holy warrior sheik and tutor”. The statement said some of their children were killed with them but gave no further details.

The US military, wary of embarrassing its Pakistani allies, has not officially confirmed it carried out the July 28 strike. Two Pakistani intelligence officials and at least one pro-Taliban militant said they believed al-Masri had died in the attack, and an American official in Washington expressed cautious optimism al-Masri was among the dead.

CBS News reported Friday that al-Qaeda’s No 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, was killed or critically injured in the strike. CBS said it had obtained a copy of an intercepted letter dated July 29 from unnamed sources in Pakistan, in which a Taliban leader urgently requested a doctor to treat Osama bin Laden’s top lieutenant.

... contd.