Al Qaeda Chief in Iraq Killed, Baghdad Officials Say
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
LONDON — The alleged mastermind of Iraq’s onslaught of suicide car bombings has been killed in an internal feud between Al Qaeda militants, Iraqi officials reported yesterday, although American officials could not confirm the report.
Iraq’s Interior Ministry said Abu Ayyub al-Masri, an Egyptian — identified in intelligence reports as the operational leader of the group in Iraq — died near the insurgent stronghold of Taji.
Brigadier General Abdel Karim Khalaf, the interior ministry’s spokesman, said “strong” intelligence had been received indicating Mr. Masri had died. He said: “The clashes took place among themselves. There were clashes within the groups of Al Qaeda. He was liquidated by them. Our forces had nothing to do with it.”
An American spokesman refused to corroborate the report. Lieutenant Colonel Chris Garver said: “While I hope it is true, because of misreporting about the fate of senior leaders in the past — we seem to capture or kill al-Masri about every month — we are going to be doubly sure before we attempt to confirm or deny anything.”
Ali al-Dabbagh, the Iraqi government official spokesman, also declined to verify the claim. He said officials had not yet seized the body. He said: “When we get the body, its DNA must be verified, but the body is still not in the hands of Iraqi forces. There are now attempts by the Iraqi forces to get the body.”
However, a coalition of Sunni insurgent groups led by Al Qaeda’s Iraq branch denied that Mr. Masri had been killed. “The Islamic State of Iraq reassures the ummah [Islamic nation] on the safety of Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, God keep him, and he is still fighting God’s enemies,” the group said.
Mr. Masri succeeded Abu Musab al-Zarqawi after an American airstrike killed the undisputed leader of the militant jihadists in Iraq 11 months ago.
Since then, there have been numerous reports of splits within the organization and with its erstwhile allies from the former Baathist regime. The political leader of the movement is another figure Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, who heads the Islamic State of Iraq, the organization that issues most of Al Qaeda’s Iraqi propaganda.
