Al-Qaeda in Iraq second-in-command reported killed during US raid
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Wednesday, October 15, 2008
- 5 February 2010: Double bombing in Pakistani city leaves at least 22 dead
- 3 February 2010: Ex-minister says UK Cabinet was "misled" about legality of Iraq war
- 2 February 2010: Woman blows herself up in Iraq; over 140 casualties
- 29 January 2010: Tony Blair tells Iraq Inquiry he would invade again
- 28 January 2010: Obama's first State of the Union speech focuses on economy, jobs
United States military forces reported that the alleged second-in-command of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), Abu Qaswarah also known as Abu Sara, had killed himself after a raid on a building in Mosul, Iraq.
He had used an explosives vest to kill himself after moving upstairs and into a room occupied by four fighters, three women, and three children. They were all killed in the firefight and the resulting explosion of the incident, which a military spokesman called a "crazy scene".
US officials had reported the deaths earlier but had not confirmed Qaswarah's identity.
Qaswarah, a Moroccan native and Swedish citizen, was a 'charismatic' leader who had been a major rallying force and a 'key figure' in al-Qaeda. After becoming an al-Qaeda chief of northern Iraq last year, he began using his control of Northern Iraq to smuggle foreigners for use in suicide bombings and to recruit more forces.
A military statement reported that Qaswarah's death would "degrade AQI operations" and leave the group "without a leader to oversee and coordinate its operations in the region". Brigadier General David Perkins agreed, saying the death of Qaswarah "allows the Iraqi security forces with the support of the coalition to go in and continue to tear apart that network".
Sources
- Robert H. Reid "US military: No. 2 al-Qaida in Iraq leader killed" – Associated Press, October 15, 2008
- Ned Parker and Saif Hameed "No. 2 Al Qaeda in Iraq commander is dead, U.S. reports" – Los Angeles Times, October 15, 2008
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