Is Ayman al-Zawahiri Dead? (UPDATED)

Let's hope so:

Today, according to Pakistani military sources, U.S. aircraft attacked a compound known to be frequented by high level al Qaeda operatives. Pakistani officials tell ABC News that al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant, may have been among them.

U.S. intelligence for the last few days indicated that Zawahiri might be in the location or about to arrive, although there is still no confirmation from U.S. officials that he was among the victims.

The attack took place early this morning Pakistan time in a small village a few miles from the border with Afghanistan.

Villagers described seeing an unmanned plane circling the area for the last few days and then bombs falling in the early morning darkness.

Eighteen people were killed, according to the villagers who said women and children were among the fatalities.

But Pakistani officials tell ABC News that five of those killed were high-level al Qaeda figures, and their bodies are now undergoing forensic tests for positive identification.

I hope that no women and children were among those killed. 

And I hope that al-Zawahari and other al Qaeda members are now finding out that the 72 virgins are instead 72 fat sows with no teeth, bad halitosis, and a strong resemblance to the offspring of Michael Moore and Cindy Sheehan or Ted Kennedy and Barbara Streisand.

Heh.

UPDATE: The Counterterrorism blog has more.

UPDATE AGAIN: It appears the man has escaped.  Dang it.