Islamabad, Aug. 2 (Agencies): Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaida’s second most powerful leader after Osama bin Laden, might be critically wounded and possibly dead, according to a media report.

CBS News reported that it had obtained from Pakistani sources a copy of an intercepted letter which urgently requests a doctor to treat al-Zawahiri. The Qaida leaders are believed to be hiding somewhere in Pakistan’s tribal areas.

The letter, reportedly written by Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, refers to al-Zawahiri by name and says that he is in “severe pain” and his “injuries are infected”.

CBS News said the Taliban logo and Mehsud’s seal on the letter had been “confirmed by experts as legitimate”. The letter is dated July 29, a day after a US missile strike killed Qaida weapons expert Abu Khabab al-Masri.