Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- The two most senior leaders of al Qaeda in Iraq have been killed in a joint Iraqi-U.S. operation, officials announced Monday.
The deaths of Abu Ayyub al-Masri and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi deal "a potentially devastating blow" to the terrorist group, the U.S. military said.
"The death of these terrorists is potentially the most significant blow to al Qaeda in Iraq since the beginning of the insurgency," United States Forces-Iraq Commander Gen. Raymond Odierno said in a news release.
Al-Masri was military leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. Al-Baghdadi was leader of the Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella group that includes al Qaeda in Iraq. The U.S. military said al-Baghdadi held the title "Prince of the Faithful."
Al-Masri's assistant and al-Baghdadi's son, who were also involved in terrorist activities, were killed as well, the U.S. military said.
A U.S. soldier was killed during the assault when a U.S. helicopter crashed, the military said in the news release.
The operation took place Sunday in al-Tharthar, north of Baghdad, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced Monday. It involved missile strikes and ground forces. The two men were in a house and then hid in a hole, where their bodies were found by security forces, he said.
There have been previous reports of al-Baghdadi being killed, which turned out to be false. While other people have operated under the same name, authorities are confident the man killed Sunday is Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, al-Maliki said Monday. Al-Masri was once reported captured, which turned out to be inaccurate.
The U.S. military said U.S. forces supported the Iraqi Security Forces in the operation. "A series of Iraqi-led joint operations conducted over the last week resulted in the Iraqi Forces with U.S. support executing a nighttime raid on the AQI [al Qaeda in Iraq] leaders' safehouse. The joint security team identified both AQI members, and the terrorists were killed after engaging the security team," the U.S. military said in a statement.
Security forces arrested 16 "additional suspected criminal associates of the warranted individuals," the military said.
Al-Masri, called "the Egyptian" and also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, took the reins of Iraq's al Qaeda offshoot in June 2006, after a U.S. missile strike killed his predecessor, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Iraq Ninja
Bookmarks