According to that source, al-Rahman was killed in Waziristan on Monday, August 22, the same day a U.S. CIA UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) struck the Pakistani tribal territory.

Al-Rahman, a Libyan national, rose to al-Qaeda's number two leader after the group's leader Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs during a covert raid on his Pakistan compound on May 1.

Many U.S. terrorism experts and law enforcement officials have stated that the elimination of bin Laden does not mean al-Qaeda is no longer a threat to the U.S. and its interests. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said recently that "it is important for the U.S. to keep pressure on the terrorist group to ensure national security."

To those who investigate and study terrorist groups, it is not surprising to learn the a top al-Qaeda terrorist is from Libya. In December 2007, an in-depth study by West Point Military Academy authors Joseph Felter and Brian Fishman found that Saudi Arabia took first place as far as the numbers of terrorists sent to combat the United States and other coalition members in Iraq and other parts of the world. Libya, a country with less than one fourth the population of the Saudi Kingdom, took second place.

Saudi Arabia sent 41% of the fighters, according to Felter and Fishman, “But Libya was the next most common country of origin, with 18.8% (112) of the fighters listing their nationality as Libyan.”

Felter and Fishman point out: “Almost 19 percent of the Iraqi foreign fighters came from Libya alone. Furthermore, Libya contributed far more fighters per capita than any other nationality including Saudi Arabia.

Since Pakistan is becoming more dangerous for al-Qaeda's leaders and members, intelligence sources believe they may travel to Somalia or northern Nigeria, where they'll be embraced by the Somali terrorist group Al Shabaab or Nigeria's Boko Haram.

The Nigerian terrorist group is seeking an alliance with al-Qaeda and they're  believed to be responsible for a series of recent bomb attacks in that African country.

Boko Haram (translated: "Western or non-Islamic education is a sin") is a controversial Nigerian  Islamist group that seeks the imposition of Shariah law in the northern states of Nigeria. The group's official name is Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, which in Arabic means "People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad".