Update: Terror Chief 'Killed In Internal Battle' (Al Qaeda Leader In Iraq 'Killed')

Sky News ^ | Tuesday May 01, 2007 | Sky News

[Eurotwit]

The leader of al Qaeda in Iraq has been killed, Iraq's Interior Ministry says. Abbu Ayyub al Masri was killed in an "internal battle", the ministry said. More follows .

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Sky News Update:

Terror Chief 'Killed In Internal Battle'

Updated: 09:59, Tuesday May 01, 2007

The leader of al Qaeda in Iraq has been killed, Iraq's Interior Ministry has said.

Abbu Ayyub al Masri was killed in an "internal battle", according to the ministry.

However, there is no independent confirmation of the report.

Brigadier-General Abdul Kareem Khalaf told the Reuters news agency: "We have definite intelligence reports that al Masri was killed today."

Another source in the ministry also said al Masri had been killed, Reuters said.

The US military has not confirmed the reports - but it has a $5m bounty on the terror chief's head.

There has been increasing friction between Sunni Islamist al Qaeda and other Sunni Arab insurgent groups in Iraq.

Local groups are said to be angered over al Qaeda's indiscriminate killing of Iraqi civilians.

Al Masri, an Egyptian, assumed the leadership of al Qaeda in Iraq after Jordanian militant Abu Musab al Zarqawi was killed in a US air strike in June 2006.

The US military has described al Masri, also known as Abu Hamza al Muhajir, as a close al Zarqawi associate.

[tobyhill]

Every time another Al-Qaeda leader is killed in Iraq the media and Democrats go into overdrive to claim that it’s a good hit but Al-Qaeda is just a small presence and not worth US being there.

[God luvs America]

here’s the capition for the same picture on Yahoo:

“Al-Qaeda’s leader in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri. New Al-Qaeda leaders appear to be emerging in Pakistan near the Afghan border, casting doubt on the idea of a sustained weakening of the global terrorist network”

http://news.yahoo.com/photo/070405/photos_wl_sa_afp/18537e24125fc2da22836e48b2f8acac&g=events/iraq/082701iraqplane;_ylt=ArYBoV5V.2mbQIKM4yOD1KAUewgF

[gathersnomoss]

Can’t be. All I can hear is blah, blah, blah...loosing loosing LOST.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

From GoogleNews:

Iraq probes reports of al-Masri's death

***************************EXCERPT************************************

BAGHDAD - Iraqi officials have received reports that the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq was killed by Sunni tribesmen, but the chief government spokesman said Tuesday the information has not been confirmed.

The statement by spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh followed a welter of reports from other Iraqi officials that Abu Ayyub al-Masri had been killed. Iraqi officials have released similar reports in the past, only to acknowledge later they were inaccurate.

U.S. officials said they could not confirm the reported death.

Al-Dabbagh told Al-Arabiya that word of al-Masri's purported death was based on "intelligence information," adding that "DNA tests should be done and we have to bring someone to identify the body."

But he refused to say unequivocally whether Iraqi security forces have the body, citing security restrictions. Accounts were vague about when and where al-Masri supposedly died.

"We will make an official announcement when we confirm that this person is Abu Ayyub al-Masri," he said. "The Iraqi government will work to identify him."

U.S. spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Garver said the U.S. command was looking into the reports.

"Obviously I hope it's true," Garver said, pointing out that previous Iraqi claims had proven false. "We want to be very careful before we confirm or deny anything like that."

[Straight Vermonter]

al-Masri is also the leader of the Shura Council which is an umbrella group that includes Sunni insurgent groups as well as Islamist groups. So in that case this could be seen as “infighting”.

[AFPhys]

Smart Col.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Man,...we are really knocking down the bad guys ,,,,great news....

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

BBC Report:

Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader 'killed'

[Chickenhawk Warmonger]

On Fox and Friends this AM, Bob Beckel was already “yeah but-ing” this. He was pooh-poohing this cause the Iraqis did it - “just more insurgent/civil war violence”. I thought the moonbats and Murtha-ites biggest complaint (other than USA being terrorists in Iraq) was that the Iraqis weren’t taking care of business...

You can never satisfy a lunatic.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Excerpt from the BBC link:

*********************************************

Masri was "ambushed by rivals" on Tuesday in northern Baghdad, an interior ministry official said on Iraqi television.

"There were clashes within the groups of al-Qaeda. He was liquidated by them. Our forces had nothing to do with it," said interior ministry spokesman Brig Gen Abdel Karim Khalaf.

I hope it's true, we're checking, but we're going to be doubly sure before we can confirm anything US military spokesman

He said interior ministry sources had seen the killing.

But Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh cautioned: "This intelligence still has to be checked by giving the body to people who can identify him.

"When we get the body, its DNA must be verified, but the body is still not in the hands of Iraqi forces. There are now attempts by the Iraqi forces to get the body."

[Grampa Dave]

One can only wonder how much singing this al Qaeda bird has been doing, is doing and will be doing:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1824587/posts

Top Al Qaeda operative taken into US custody [in late 2006...plotted to assassinate Pres. Musharraf]
Yahoo ^

Posted on 04/27/2007 7:57:31 AM PDT by Sub-Driver

Top Al Qaeda operative taken into US custody

10 minutes ago

The United States has taken into custody a top al-Qaeda operative who plotted to assassinate Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf and other officials, a Pentagon spokesman said Friday.

Abd al Hadi al-Iraqi, who was taken to the US navy prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba about a week ago, was intercepted while trying to reach Iraq to take over Al-Qaeda operations and to plot attacks from there against western targets outside Iraq, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.

He is “one of Al-Qaeda’s highest ranking and senior operatives at the time of his detention.

[rfp1234]

Al-Murtha, Al-Pelousi, & Al-Franken are deeply saddened.

[rfp1234]

He will be replaced by Hari Riid al-Nevadi.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Interesting note in this AP Report,...:

Iraq Probes Reports of Al-Masri's Death
May 01, 2007 at 8:50:6 PDT

**********************EXCERPT****************************

An umbrella group of Iraqi insurgents denied that the al-Qaida leader was killed, saying he was alive and safe, according to an Internet statement.

"The Islamic State of Iraq reassures the Ummah (nation) that Sheik Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, God protect him, is alive and he is still fighting the enemy of God," the Islamic State said in a written statement posted on a Web site commonly used by insurgents.

A series of reports on Tuesday said Abu Hamza al-Muhajer - whom U.S. and Iraqi forces have identified by another pseudonym, Abu Ayyub al-Masri - had been killed - either by rivals in al-Qaida or Sunni tribesmen who had turned against the extremists.

Iraqi government officials released conflicting accounts of when and where al-Masri was purportedly killed, and who is supposed to have killed him.

It was also unclear whether Iraqi authorities had a body.

Al-Dabbagh told Al-Arabiya that word of al-Masri's purported death was based on "intelligence information," adding that "DNA tests should be done and we have to bring someone to identify the body."

But he refused to say unequivocally whether Iraqi security forces have the body, citing security restrictions. Accounts were vague about when and where al-Masri supposedly died.

"We will make an official announcement when we confirm that this person is Abu Ayyub al-Masri," he said. "The Iraqi government will work to identify him."

The Interior Ministry spokesman, Brig. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, told state television that authorities did not have absolute confirmation that al-Masri was dead but that reports indicated he was killed by fellow al-Qaida members in an ambush at the Safi bridge north of Baghdad.

"Sources of the Interior Ministry witnessed the killing of this criminal," Khalaf said.

[rfp1234]

Their dental plan sucks too.

[rfp1234]

—Well I guess Time mag can’t make him ‘MAn of the Year” now that he is DOA.—

They’ll pick Hitlery for MAN of the year.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks E.

Have a great day, all.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

From top line of AP report at post #124:

************************************************

An umbrella group of Iraqi insurgents denied that the al-Qaida leader was killed, saying he was alive and safe, according to an Internet statement.

[Enchante]

I would waterboard this POS terrorist without any hesitation if it could help to break up possible terrorist plots — and given his role in crucial areas of Al Qaeda’s operations, there is much that he could be singing about. If he’s being transferred to Gitmo after 4-5 months in secret custody, it’s a good bet he’s already spilled a lot, I would think.

[null and void]

The retirement package SUCKS though...

Nahhh, It's great, full pay right up until your last heartbeat...