Top al Qaeda militant Awlaki killed in Yeman: Government

The US-born militant cleric was believed to be hiding in Yemen. The statement said only that he died "along with some of his companions". The defence ministry gave no further details of his death.

But AFP quoted tribal sources as saying that Awlaki was killed in an air strike in the eastern Marib province, said to be an al Qaeda stronghold. Awlaki, of Yemeni descent, was on the run in Yemen since December 2007. The US regards the 40-year-old al-Awlaki as the biggest threat to its homeland security and named him a "specially designated global terrorist" for his alleged role in a number of attacks.

Born in New Mexico, Awlaki, eloquent in English and Arabic, preached at a mosque in Virginia before leaving the United States for the Middle East. US officials say Awlaki helped recruit Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, the Nigerian man charged with trying to blow up a transatlantic flight as it landed in Detroit on December 25, 2009.

The militant cleric is also said to have exchanged emails with accused Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hassan who killed a dozen fellow soldiers and a civilian in a rampage at the Texas base.