Region | Iraq
Senior Al Qaida in Iraq leader killed in Baghdad - US
The US military said on Saturday it has killed a senior Al Qaida in Iraq leader suspected of masterminding one of the deadliest bombings in Baghdad as well as recent attacks and the 2006 videotaped execution of a kidnapped Russian official.
- Agencies
- Published: 13:51 October 4, 2008
Baghdad: The US military said on Saturday it has killed a senior Al Qaida in Iraq leader suspected of masterminding one of the deadliest bombings in Baghdad as well as recent attacks and the 2006 videotaped execution of a kidnapped Russian official.
American troops also killed the man's wife after a firefight as they tried to capture him Friday in the northern neighborhood of Azamiyah in Baghdad, the military said.
Mahir Ahmad Mahmud Al Zubaydi, also known as Abu Assad or Abu Rami, allegedly directed the insurgent cell believed to be responsible for nearly simultaneous car bomb and suicide attacks Thursday, according to the statement.
Iraqi police and hospital officials have said some two dozen people were killed in Thursday's attacks targeting two Shiite mosques in Baghdad.
Al Zubaydi was one of the most senior insurgents to be killed by US forces as they seek to shore up recent security gains that have driven the level of violence to its lowest point in more than four years.
His death would be a major blow to Al Qaida in Iraq even as the group's recruiting efforts have been "severely curbed" by a decision by many Sunnis to join forces with the Americans in the fight against it, military spokesman Rear Admiral Patrick Driscoll said.
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