Pakistan's former President Musharraf, key U.S. ally against al Qaeda, is dead

FILE PHOTO: Supporters of Pervez Musharraf carry national flags and signs, after a Pakistani court sentenced the former military ruler to death on charges of high treason and subverting the constitution, during a protest in Karachi, Pakistan, December 19, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro

ISLAMABAD/DUBAI (Reuters) - Pakistan's former President Pervez Musharraf, a key U.S. ally in the campaign against al Qaeda following the militant group's Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, died in Dubai on Sunday after a prolonged illness. He was 79.

Musharraf, a former four-star general who seized power after a 1999 military coup, died in hospital in Dubai, where he was living in self-imposed exile since 2016. His body will be flown to Pakistan for burial on Monday, Geo News reported.