This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/8630213.stm
The article has changed 14 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Iraqi al-Qaeda leaders 'killed' | Iraqi al-Qaeda leaders 'killed' |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki says an intelligence team has killed the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri. | Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki says an intelligence team has killed the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri. |
| Mr Maliki said Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, believed to lead al-Qaeda's local affiliate, the Islamic State in Iraq, had also been killed. | Mr Maliki said Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, believed to lead al-Qaeda's local affiliate, the Islamic State in Iraq, had also been killed. |
| There is no confirmation of the reports and no comment from the US military. | There is no confirmation of the reports and no comment from the US military. |
| Previous official reports that both militants had been captured have turned out to be untrue. | Previous official reports that both militants had been captured have turned out to be untrue. |
| Speaking on national television, Mr Maliki said both men had been killed in Thar-Thar, in Salaheddin province west of Baghdad, by Iraqi agents who had US assistance. | |
| Iraqi TV showed pictures of both men before and allegedly after their deaths. | Iraqi TV showed pictures of both men before and allegedly after their deaths. |
| "The attack was carried out by ground forces which surrounded the house, and also through the use of missiles," Mr Maliki said. | |
| He said the house had been destroyed and the two bodies were found inside, in a hole in the ground in which they had been hiding. | |
| Umbrella group | |
| Abu Ayyub al-Masri is also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir. | Abu Ayyub al-Masri is also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir. |
| He is believed to have helped Abu Musab al-Zarqawi form the first al-Qaeda cell in Baghdad. Zarqawi was killed in June 2006. | He is believed to have helped Abu Musab al-Zarqawi form the first al-Qaeda cell in Baghdad. Zarqawi was killed in June 2006. |
| The Islamic State in Iraq is an umbrella organisation that includes several radical Sunni militant groups. | The Islamic State in Iraq is an umbrella organisation that includes several radical Sunni militant groups. |
| Al-Baghdadi is a nom de guerre for its shadowy leader, although some US commanders have cast doubt on whether he even exists. | Al-Baghdadi is a nom de guerre for its shadowy leader, although some US commanders have cast doubt on whether he even exists. |
| Al-Qaeda in Iraq has been blamed for some of the bloodiest insurgent attacks in the country since the US-led invasion of 2003. | Al-Qaeda in Iraq has been blamed for some of the bloodiest insurgent attacks in the country since the US-led invasion of 2003. |
| Mr Maliki is currently contesting the results of the 7 March election which was narrowly won by former prime minister Iyad Allawi. | |
| Election officials have ordered a manual recount of votes cast in Baghdad after complaints from Mr Maliki that the electronic system of counting was unreliable. | |
| The recount could alter the final result of the poll. |