Khorasan's French Bomb-Maker Survived US Strike

A high-value French bomb-maker isn't dead after all. US officials say David (Daoud) Drugeon of the al-Qaeda-linked Khorasan Group, believed to have been killed in a November airstrike in Syria, actually survived, CNN and French newspaper L'Express report. Drugeon, the intended target of the drone strike on his vehicle, sustained serious injuries but was immediately rushed away for treatment at a "secure" location, say officials. They came to the conclusion amid new intelligence; they also monitored al-Qaeda and Khorasan communications. Born on the outskirts of Vannes in 1989, Drugeon is among the deadliest operatives in al-Qaeda's global network, CNN notes, owing largely to his explosives expertise and his European roots. Among his famous skills: passing explosives through airport security. (More al-Qaeda stories.)