U.S. Airstrike Kills Terrorist Behind USS Cole Bombing

A U.S. military airstrike on New Year’s Day reportedly killed Jamal al-Badawi, who helped orchestrate the October 2000 bombing of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG-67), officials said.

“We are aware of reports that Jamal al-Badawi was killed in a strike in Yemen,” Navy Capt. Bill Urban, a U.S. Central Command spokesman, said in an email to USNI News. “U.S. forces conducted a precision strike Jan. 1st in the Marib governate, Yemen, targeting Jamal al-Badawi, a legacy al Qaeda operative in Yemen involved in the USS Cole bombing.” . . .

On Oct. 12, 2000, Cole was refueling at the Yemeni port of Aden when two al Qaeda terrorists brought an inflatable Zodiac-type speedboat alongside the destroyer’s port side and detonated a bomb onboard, according to the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command.

The explosion blew a 40-foot wide hole in Cole and killed 17 sailors. The crew was able to save the ship. The Navy transported the ship to Pascagoula, Miss., for extensive repairs. . .

A federal grand jury in 2003 indicted al-Badawi and co-conspirator Fahd al-Quso with 50 counts of terrorism-related offenses related to the Cole bombing and an attempted January 2000 attack on USS The Sullivans (DDG-68). The U.S. government issued a $5-million reward for information leading to al-Badawi’s capture, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. (Read more from “U.S. Airstrike Kills Terrorist Behind USS Cole Bombing” HERE)

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