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**PVaQlNaP** · 05-02-2007, 02:34 AM

Originally posted by DinoDoc
[q]Al-Qaeda's Iraq Head Killed in Clashes, Ministry Says (Update5)

By Robin Stringer

May 1 (Bloomberg) -- The leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, was killed north of Baghdad during a struggle among members of the group, the Iraqi government said.

The death was denied in an Internet statement purported to be from al-Masri's followers, in which he was described as safe and ``still fighting God's enemies,'' Agence France-Presse said.

Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier Abu al-Kareem Khalaf, in announcing al-Masri's death, said, ``We have strong intelligence that he was killed in clashes today'' near the town of Taji. ``The clashes took place between groups within al- Qaeda,'' Khalaf said in a telephone interview aired on state television. ``Our forces were not involved.''

Al-Masri was identified as the new leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq on an Islamist Web site in June, after his predecessor, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, died in a U.S. air strike near Baghdad. Al- Zarqawi's death was presented by the U.S. as a major blow to the terrorist network. By contrast, al-Masri's death probably won't make much difference to the group, said Peter R. Neumann, head of the Defence Studies Department at King's College London.

``Al-Qaeda in Iraq has established itself to such a degree it doesn't need one person alone,'' Neumann said in a telephone interview. ``Someone else will take over. They have semiautonomous factions and it will not make a big difference to them.''

The U.S.-led coalition said in an e-mailed statement that it was unable to confirm al-Masri's death.

Samarra Attack

The U.S. military blames the mainly Sunni Muslim al-Qaeda network for attacks on Iraqi civilians, including the February 2006 bombing of a Shiite Muslim shrine in Samarra that worsened violence between the majority Shiites and the Sunnis.

``It is probably public enemy No. 1,'' General David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, said of al-Qaeda's network in the country, at a news conference on April 26.

Al-Qaeda's Iraq organization emerged from Sunni groups that are still fighting to dominate the country, Neumann said.

``There have been struggles for control between Sunni groups from Baghdad and al-Anbar, Sunni Kurds and foreign fighters,'' he said. I don't have a reference, but I believe that other sources are saying that he was killed in an attack by another Sunni faction not part of al-Qaeda, which supports what I've been saying, that al-Qaeda has nothing to gain if the US leaves Iraq. The other insurgent factions will not suffer their presence for very long once we leave.

05-02-2007, 02:34 AM	#19
PVaQlNaP Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 372 Senior Member	Originally posted by DinoDoc [q]Al-Qaeda's Iraq Head Killed in Clashes, Ministry Says (Update5) By Robin Stringer May 1 (Bloomberg) -- The leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, was killed north of Baghdad during a struggle among members of the group, the Iraqi government said. The death was denied in an Internet statement purported to be from al-Masri's followers, in which he was described as safe and ``still fighting God's enemies,'' Agence France-Presse said. Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier Abu al-Kareem Khalaf, in announcing al-Masri's death, said, ``We have strong intelligence that he was killed in clashes today'' near the town of Taji. ``The clashes took place between groups within al- Qaeda,'' Khalaf said in a telephone interview aired on state television. ``Our forces were not involved.'' Al-Masri was identified as the new leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq on an Islamist Web site in June, after his predecessor, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, died in a U.S. air strike near Baghdad. Al- Zarqawi's death was presented by the U.S. as a major blow to the terrorist network. By contrast, al-Masri's death probably won't make much difference to the group, said Peter R. Neumann, head of the Defence Studies Department at King's College London. ``Al-Qaeda in Iraq has established itself to such a degree it doesn't need one person alone,'' Neumann said in a telephone interview. ``Someone else will take over. They have semiautonomous factions and it will not make a big difference to them.'' The U.S.-led coalition said in an e-mailed statement that it was unable to confirm al-Masri's death. Samarra Attack The U.S. military blames the mainly Sunni Muslim al-Qaeda network for attacks on Iraqi civilians, including the February 2006 bombing of a Shiite Muslim shrine in Samarra that worsened violence between the majority Shiites and the Sunnis. ``It is probably public enemy No. 1,'' General David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, said of al-Qaeda's network in the country, at a news conference on April 26. Al-Qaeda's Iraq organization emerged from Sunni groups that are still fighting to dominate the country, Neumann said. ``There have been struggles for control between Sunni groups from Baghdad and al-Anbar, Sunni Kurds and foreign fighters,'' he said. I don't have a reference, but I believe that other sources are saying that he was killed in an attack by another Sunni faction not part of al-Qaeda, which supports what I've been saying, that al-Qaeda has nothing to gain if the US leaves Iraq. The other insurgent factions will not suffer their presence for very long once we leave.
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