Key al Qaeda deputy killed in Iraq

CNN ^ | Jan. 04, 2008

[jdm]

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- An al Qaeda in Iraq leader who was suspected of helping to plan a large scale attack against coalition forces "in the near future" was killed by a U.S. air strike south of Baghdad last week, the U.S. military said.

The military also said it captured "dozens of suspected extremists" connected to al Qaeda in an assault south of Baghdad on Saturday.

Muhammad Khalil Ibrahim, identified as the deputy military leader for the al Qaeda's network south of Baghdad, was killed along with two other terrorists in the air strike on their vehicle on Dec. 27, the military said.

Ibrahim was "a key planner in numerous attacks against Coalition forces operating in the Mahmudiyah area, and was also involved in the facilitation of foreign terrorists and weapons," the military said.

The news release announcing the deaths said Ibrahim "and other senior al Qaeda members were allegedly planning to conduct a large-scale attack against Coalition forces in the near future."

On Saturday, the U.S. military and Iraqi Army launched an assault south of Baghdad in the Ubaydi farmland area, described by one U.S. soldier as a place where "people are either aligned with al Qaeda in Iraq or they've been killed or chased away."

[caisson71]

This, from CNN? Is hell freezing over or is global warming a hoax?

[notaliberal]

GOOD!

[Anti-Bubba182]

Lol...Key al Qaeda. That phrase gets a lot of use. I’m waiting for a ‘Joe average’ al Qaeda to get killed.

[RDTF]

apache?

[Aaron0617]

should I assume we have a spy within the Al Qaeda insurgency network. I mean, it could be me but we've seem to have caught/killed a lot of high value terrorist targets lately. And now we killed this guy before he had a chance to do anything.

just wondering.

[Marine_Uncle]

The US and Iraqi military intel has gotten so good over the past three years plus and work together. This area has been since spring of 2004 patrolled by alternately US Army and Marine Battalions. Over a period of time you can be assured, most probably every house in this large town and all the associated villages have been fully mapped out as to who lives where etc..
As growing numbers of Iraqi both Shiite and Sunni point the fingers at suspicious people moving to and fro in this area, we now can quickly move in and get them.
Back in 2005 for instance, our Marines would go on patrols, gather intel, and counter intel, and hardly know must of the time who was doing what.
Now the ball game has changed with the Iraqi pointing the fingers at the bad guys. It has made a vast difference in busting up the al Qaeda cells and support groups previously under allegience to Saddam Hussein.

[Marine_Uncle]

Al Qaeda and associated support groups will continue to be targeted by our special forces units. Obviously with the great HUMIT now being provided by the Iraqi people, things are so much easier to find and eliminate the goons.

[BenLurkin]

One of these days we’re going to catch the top dog over there and hang him.

[Freedom'sWorthIt]

Excellent news! Well done, US heroes and, if appropriate, those cooperating among the Iraqi population.

Best news of all is that CNN reported this!

[Tennessean4Bush]

AQI ping

[Tennessean4Bush]

should I assume we have a spy within the Al Qaeda insurgency network

The way these guys sing like birds every time we catch them you hardly need a spy, LOL!

[SandRat]

[bray]

The War is Over and the Dems have Lost.

Pray for W and Our Victorious Troops

[wastedyears]

Liberals sobbing everywhere

[txzman]

Sounds like we are taking lessons from the Israelis.