American forces killed an Al-Qaeda chieftain in the lawless western Iraqi city of Ramadi by destroying his car with a laser guided bomb, the US military said Thursday. "Rafa Abdul Salam Hamud al-Ithawi, also known as Abu Taha, was the emir of Shamiyyah," it said. "He frequently harboured foreign fighters who entered Iraq illegally in order to assault innocent Iraqis and coalition forces." Ithawi was killed on Wednesday along with his driver, "diminishing the al-Qaeda in Iraq network," the statement said.