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| Top Iraqi al-Qaeda leaders killed | |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki and US officials say two leaders of al-Qaeda in Iraq have been killed in joint Iraqi-US operation. | |
| Mr Maliki said on national TV that the Iraqi al-Qaeda leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, who led an affiliate group, were dead. | |
| The US military later confirmed the two had been killed by Iraqi forces. | |
| Mr Maliki said both had been killed in Thar-Thar, Salaheddin province, west of Baghdad, by Iraqi agents with US help. | |
| Iraqi TV showed pictures of both men before and 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. | "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. | 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. |
| In a statement, US Forces-Iraq Commander Gen Raymond T Odierno said: "The death of these terrorists is potentially the most significant blow to al-Qaida in Iraq since the beginning of the insurgency." | |
| Previous official reports that both militants had been captured have turned out to be untrue. | |
| Umbrella group | 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. | 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. | 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. | The recount could alter the final result of the poll. |