CAIRO — A U.S. airstrike has killed al-Qaida’s No. 2 leader, who commanded its powerful Yemeni affiliate, dealing the global network its biggest blow since the killing of Osama bin Laden and eliminating a charismatic leader at a time when it is vying with the Islamic State group for the mantle of global jihad.

In a video statement dated June 14 and released today by the Yemeni affiliate, a senior operative announced the death of Nasir al-Wahishi, a veteran jihadi who once served as bin Laden’s aide-de-camp, and said his deputy, Qassim al-Raimi, has been tapped to replace him.

“Our Muslim nation, a hero of your heroes and a master of your masters left to God, steadfast,” Khaled Batrafi said in the video, vowing that the group’s war on America would continue.

Yemeni security officials had earlier said a U.S. drone strike killed three suspected militants in the al-Qaida-held southern port city of Mukalla last week. U.S. officials had said they were trying to verify whether al-Wahishi was killed.

Al-Qaida’s Yemen affiliate has long been seen as its most lethal, and has been linked to a number of foiled or botched attacks on the U.S. homeland. The group claimed responsibility for January’s attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that killed 12 people.

Al-Wahishi had fought alongside bin Laden at Tora Bora in Afghanistan.