The Hill News

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Saturday called the death of the al-Qaeda operative allegedly behind the deadly 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania a major blow to the terrorist network.

Somali security forces killed Fazul Abdullah Mohammed â€" also known as Harun Fazul â€" earlier in the week and government officials there announced the death Saturday, according to several press accounts

“Harun Fazul's death is a significant blow to Al Qaeda, its extremist allies, and its operations in East Africa,” Clinton said in a statement.

“It is a just end for a terrorist who brought so much death and pain to so many innocents in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, and e! lsewhere - Tanzanians, Kenyans, Somalis, others in the region, and our own embassy personnel,” Clinton said.