Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the leader of
al-Qaida in Iraq (File Photo) Photo
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BAGHDAD,
May 1 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi government and the U.S. military are probing
media reports on the death of Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the leader of al-Qaida in
Iraq, as they can't confirm the reports.
Iraqi state-run television quoted Brigadier General
Abdul Karim Khalaf, spokesman of the Interior Ministry, as saying that "news
said that Abu Ayyub al-Masri has been killed in Nibaie area in Taji."
"Definite intelligence reports said that disputes
among the al-Qaida groups developed to internal clashes which resulted in the
killing of Abu Ayyub al-Masri," Khalaf told al-Iraqiya.
"We have very strong evidences that he (al-Masri) was
killed, but still we need more investigations," he said.
Nibaie, some 50 km north of Baghdad, is part of Taji
area which is the hotbed of insurgency, including the al-Qaida militants.
Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani and Defence
Minister General Abdel Qader Jassim also told the media that al-Masri was
believed to be killed according to "high reliable intelligence."
However, some Iraqi officials said the body of
al-Masri had not been found and the authorities need more investigations before
the final confirmation of al-Masri's death.
The U.S. military also said it could not confirm Abu
Ayyub al-Masri had been killed.
Furthermore, an al-Qaida-linked group Tuesday posted
a statement on a website, denying the death of al-Masri. The self-styled Islamic
State in Iraq said it can assure the safety of al-Masri and "he is still
fighting the enemies."
Al-Masri, an Egyptian who is also known as Abu Hamza
al-Muhajir, became the leader of al-Qaida network in Iraq after U.S. troops
killed the former chief of the organization Abu Musam al-Zarqawi in June, 2006.
Al-Masri was reportedly killed in a U.S. raid in
December and badly wounded in February, but both of the reports were proven to
be inaccurate later.
Al-Qaida militants are accused of trying to fan the
sectarian conflicts between majority Shiites and minority Sunnis in Iraq with a
series of deadly attacks, including the bombing of the golden-domed shrine in
Samara in February, 2006.
Analysts said even if the report was true, al-Masri's
death can hardly paralyze the al-Qaida network in Iraq and since the death of
al-Zarqawi, al-Qaida has launched numerous attacks across Iraq, showing strong
capabilities of regenerating.
Some pointed out that the most encouraging thing in
the report was not al-Masri's death, but how he was killed.
If al-Masri was really killed in an internal
fighting, it would definitely signal a deepening split between al-Qaida and
other Sunni Arab militants.
Some Sunni insurgents in Iraq are reportedly angered
by al-Qaida's large-scale attacks against Iraqi population.
In Iraq's western province of Anbar, Sunni tribes,
once said to show sympathy to al-Qaida militants, have formed a coalition to
fight against them.
BAGHDAD, May 1 (Xinhua) -- The leader of al-Qaida in Iraq
Abu Ayyub al-Masri has been killed in an area north of Baghdad, Iraqi state-run
television reported on Tuesday.
"News said that Abu Ayyub al-Masri has been killed in
Nibaie area in Taji," the Iraqia television quoted Brigadier-General Abdul Karim
Khalaf as saying. Full story
WASHINGTON, May 1 (Xinhua)-- U.S. ambassador to Iraq Ryan
Crocker said Tuesday that he could not confirm Abu Ayyub al-Masri, leader of al
Qaeda in Iraq, had been killed.
"The coalition was not involved in this action, whatever
it was, in any way, which means I cannot confirm to you that Abu Ayyub al-Masri
has actually been killed," Crocker told Washington-based reporters in a
video-conference call from Baghdad. Full story
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