Bin Laden top deputy believed to have been killed

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Mohammed Atef, a top deputy of Osama bin Laden, is believed to have been killed by a U.S. airstrike in the last two days, a U.S. official said Friday.

"This guy was bin Laden's military specialist since the early 1990s, widely thought to be bin Laden's successor in the event of his death," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The airstrike took place near Kabul, the Afghan capital, said the official, who added there is credible evidence Atef was killed.

Atef, an Egyptian, was believed to have be involved in the planning of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, U.S. officials said. He has also been indicted for involvement in the U.S. embassy bombings in Africa in 1998.