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US and Iraqi officials have claimed a significant victory in their fight against the country's most venomous insurgent group, saying the second-in-command of al-Qaida in Iraq has been killed in a gunbattle in Baghdad. Another prominent figure in the organisation, led by the Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was also reported killed yesterday in western Iraq, while in the northern city of Mosul, its regional leader was said to have surrendered to the Iraqi military. A US military spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Steve Boylan, said Abdullah Abu Azzam had been shot dead when American and Iraqi forces raided an apartment block in...

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND 7115 South Boundary Boulevard MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101 Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 September 27, 2005Release Number: 05-09-65 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FORCES KILL AL QAEDA IN IRAQ EMIR OF BAGHDAD BAGHDAD, Iraq – Iraqi security and Coalition forces killed the second most wanted al Qaeda terrorist in Iraq, Abdallah Najim Abdallah Muhammad al-Juwari, otherwise known as Abu Azzam, the al Qaeda in Iraq Emir of Baghdad, during an early morning raid Sept. 25. Abu Azzam was the operational commander for al Qaeda in Iraq and was responsible for the recent...

Al-Qaeda's second-in-command in Iraq has been shot dead in a raid in Baghdad, US and Iraqi officials say. Abu Azzam is described as the top aide to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari called the killing very important, and said those who informed on insurgents were helping to save hundreds of lives. However, a statement purportedly from al-Qaeda in Iraq says it cannot confirm the death, and denies Azzam is the group's number two in the country. In a separate incident, at least 10 people died in an attack on police recruits north of Baghdad. At least 26...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military on Tuesday confirmed reports that a top lieutenant in al-Qaida in Iraq, the country's most feared insurgent group, was shot and killed over the weekend in a raid by U.S. and Iraqi forces. Abdullah Abu Azzam was a top aide to the organization's leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and had claimed responsibility for the assassinations of a number of top politicians. The U.S. military had a $50,000 bounty on his head. Lt. Col. Steve Boylan, a U.S. military spokesman, said U.S. and Iraqi forces, acting on a tip, raided a high-rise apartment building in Baghdad...

U.S. Special Forces killed Al Qaeda's (search) No. 2 terror mastermind in Iraq (search), Defense Department officials say. FOX News has confirmed that Abu Azzam (search), who was believed to have been in charge of the financing of terrorist cells in the war-torn country, was killed during a raid in Baghdad Sunday. Azzam is thought to be the top deputy to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (search), Iraq's most wanted terrorist.

The No. 2 al Qaeda leader in Iraq was killed Sunday night, U.S. officials say. Abu Azzam, reportedly the deputy to Abu Musab al Zarqawi, was shot during a house rain in Baghdad, according to Pentagon officials. As the aide to Zarqawi, Azzam was reportedly in control of financing foreign fighters coming into Iraq, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports. According to Pentagon officials coalition troops raided the house in response to a tip. When Azzam opened fire, these officials say, he was killed with troops' return fire.