Pakistan ? A leading al-Qaida commander, reputed to be No. 3 in the terrorist group, is thought to have been killed after several days of fierce fighting in Pakistan’s northwest fringe, a clash that is pushing the country toward war with the extremists.

Abu Saeed al-Masri, identified in local news reports as Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, is al-Qaida’s commander in Afghanistan as well its financial expert. His death, if confirmed, would be a significant blow to the terrorist group.

Pakistan’s Taliban movement, which is allied with al-Qaida, on Tuesday blew up a bus that was carrying military personnel just outside Peshawar, the capital of the troubled North West Frontier Province. The powerful blast, thought to come from a roadside bomb, claimed 14 lives, including civilian passers-by. It blew a crater in the road some 10 feet wide.