This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com.

* Al-Qaeda’s second in command killed in Pakistan

* New evidence of atrocities in Libya by Gaddafi’s forces

* Dramatic massacre in mosque in Damascus, Syria

* Mexico’s federal agents raid Monterrey casinos

Al-Qaeda’s second in command killed in Pakistan

Atiyah Abd al-Rahman

US officials confirmed on Saturday that Atiyah Abd al-Rahman was killed in Waziristan, in the tribal areas of Pakistan, on August 22. Al-Rahman had been promoted to al-Qaeda’s second in command, directly under top terrorist Ayman al-Zawahiri. Both promotions had occured following the death of Osama bin Laden in May by US forces. The death of al-Rahman is a serious blow to al-Qaeda, since al-Zawahira depends on him to run daily operations and to help guide the organization. Al-Rahman had played a key role in managing ties between the core leadership and al Qaeda in Iraq and helped negotiate the formation in 2007 of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) with a group of Algerian Islamist guerrillas. Tribune (Pakistan) and Reuters

New evidence of atrocities in Libya by Gaddafi’s forces

Some 53 bodies were found in a burnt-out warehouse in Tripoli on Saturday. Eyewitnesses who escaped the massacre said that the people were murdred by Gaddafi’s forces on August 23-24. They were gunned down and set on fire. Evidence of mass killings and atrocities is growing, along with humanitarian concerns, as the city of Tripoli runs out of food and water. Tripoli Post

Dramatic massacre in mosque in Damascus, Syria

Pro-Assad demonstrators in central Damascus on Saturday (AFP)

Pro-democracy demonstrators in Syria continue every day to protest the regime of president Bashar al-Assad, despite massacres by live fire from Assad’s regime forces. A particularly dramatic slaughter occured on Saturday at a mosque in Kafarsouseh, near Damascus. Protesters were greeted by teargas from regime forces and “shabiha” (regime thugs). They threw back the teargas cannisters and rocks, and the security forces responded with live fire. The protesters fled into the mosque, and then the mosque itself was assaulted by security forces, violating core Islamic principles. There have been protests across the country, but so far they’ve been rare in Damascus. Assad is desperate to avoid large Damascus protests, as those would more seriously threaten his rule. Al-Jazeera

Mexico’s federal agents raid Monterrey casinos

After the horrific arson attack on Thursday on the Casino Royale in Monterrey, killing 52 people, hundreds of soldiers and federal agents raided 11 Monterrey casinos on Saturday, an confiscated about 1,500 slot machines. It said the continuing operation was meant to verify whether casinos had paid taxes or introduced slot machines illegally. It’s nice to know that even if the Mexican feds can’t prevent this kind of violence, at least they can make some money from it. Houston Chronicle

Casinos are technically illegal in Mexico, and so the establishments categorize their games as “skill” rather than “chance.” The casinos are lucrative in themselves, but they’re also heavily used by organized criminal gangs for money laundering. The result is rising tension in the underworld over who controls this lucrative and important business. The motive for Thursday’s attack, according to press reports, was that the casino refused to pay its “quota,” or extortion payment to some drug cartel. This doesn’t make sense, because extortionists don’t make money by eliminating money making organizations. They do, however, want to injure their enemies’ businesses, and although no one wants to talk about it, this appears to be the most likely motive. Insight Crime