Author Image: Michael Morell

Michael Morell

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FILE - This undated file photo released by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior on Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010, purports to show Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri. When a drone strike killed one of the leaders of al-Qaida's affiliate in Yemen last year, U.S. intelligence officials thought they also had wiped out the terrorist group’s top bomb maker. Soon it became apparent that al-Asiri, the brains behind sophisticated bombs that have been used in attempts to attack the U.S., was still alive. A hunted al-Asiri went underground, knowing the U.S. was after him, particularly after the U.S. killed Anwar al-Awlaki, one of the Yemen group's top leaders. But U.S. counterterrorism officials say he has resurfaced. They worry he might be at work doing what he does best: building bombs that could defeat airline security, The Associated Press has learned. (AP Photo/Saudi Arabia Ministry of Interior, File) EDITORIAL USE ONLY - NO SALES

Morell: We killed a top terrorist. Few noticed.

This successful U.S. operation shows that, despite the partisan politics of Washington, the men and women of the U.S. national security community continue to keep our country safe.