al Qaeda in Iraq #2 Killed

BAGHDAD - A senior member of al Qaeda in Iraq was killed during an operation in Baghdad this week while carrying letters for Osama bin Laden and the new leader of the terror group's Iraqi offshoot, an Interior Ministry official said yesterday.
In a separate announcement, the top U.S. military spokesman in Iraq said U.S. forces had arrested a senior al Qaeda terrorist and personal associate of the group's new leader, Abu Ayyoub al-Masri.

Abu Jaafar al-Liby, who was either the second or third most important figure in al Qaeda in Iraq, was killed by police during an operation three days ago, Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said.

Four other insurgents were killed in the raid.

Liby had been in charge of the Baghdad sector of al Qaeda.

Khalaf said two letters were found on his body - one for bin Laden and the other for Masri, who took over from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike north of Baghdad on June 7. Both letters pledged loyalty and promised more attacks.

It was not known if the killing announced by Khalaf was related to the operations that led to the Tuesday arrest of the unidentified al Qaeda terror suspect described by Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, the top U.S. military spokesman. Caldwell said the arrested man was a "personal associate" of Masri.

Editor's Note: I would like to explain why I am copying and still linking to the article. I have been posting for over 2 years now, and too many times I have tried to use links I have provided my readers that were no longer good. THAT is why. This way, if the link is no good anymore? I still have the text! Hey, if they'll play fair, so will I. As of right now, they are not. So there.
Source: Washington Post online, September 15, 2006.
Category: (Military) News.