Anwar Al Awlaki has been killed?

Reports say that Anwar Al Awlaki was killed along with his companion in an US airstrike in Yemen.

Does anyone else have any more news on this subject? I actually heard about his alleged death just before Ramadhan, same exact story but only a few were speaking about it.

Also does anyone know how exactly they linked him with Al Qaeda? :?

All i know was that his lectures were very inspiring, (to come to deen, not for anything else) and that he was knowledgeable but not a scholar. Allah know best.