On the job

Al-Qaeda takes a big hit:

ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Mohammad Usman was little-known other than for being wanted for the killing of a police officer in 1997 and his connections with prayer leaders at the Taliban-friendly Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) in Islamabad in the early 2000s.

His death this week in a United States drone strike in the North Waziristan tribal area along with several other militants therefore made few headlines.

In the al-Qaeda camp, however, Usman has been described as "irreplaceable"...

But the new NSA head does not inspire confidence...