Iraqi Army: Al Qaeda in Iraq Leader Nabbed
Abu Ayyub al-Masri also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir
9 May 2008 00:08 Africa/Lagos
Iraqi Army: Al Qaeda in Iraq Leader Nabbed
From CBS/The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, May 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, was arrested in the northern city of Mosul, the Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman said Thursday.
Spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said the arrest of al-Masri, also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, was confirmed to him by the Iraqi commander of the province.
Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said that Mosul police "arrested one of al Qaeda's leaders at midnight and during the primary investigations he admitted that he is Abu Hamza Al-Muhajir."
If confirmed, the arrest would represent a major blow to al Qaeda in Iraq, which has been on the run for the past year following a shift in alliances by Sunni tribesmen in western Anbar province, and elsewhere, and an influx of thousands of U.S. troops.
The U.S. military considers the organization its number one enemy in Iraq.
"The commander of Ninevah military operations informed me that Iraqi troops captured Abu Hamza al-Muhajir the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq," al-Askari told The Associated Press by telephone.
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Source: Republican National Committee
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