Qaeda Figure in Iraq Killed, U.S. Military Says

new york times

American forces have indeed killed a high-ranking member of the terrorist group Al Qaeda in Iraq, but not the leader of the group, American military officials said today.

The man killed in the raid was Muharib Abdul Latif al-Jubouri, described as a senior minister of information for Al Qaeda in Iraq who was involved in the kidnappings of Jill Carroll and Tom Fox as well as two Germans, according to Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, spokesman for the American military in Iraq.

Mr. Jubouri’s death and subsequent events may have led to confusion that generated unconfirmed reports of the death of the leader of the group, known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri, or of Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the head of another insurgent group, the Islamic State of Iraq, General Caldwell said.

He said American forces are not certain that Mr. al-Baghdadi even exists.

Mr. Jubouri was involved in the movement of foreign fighters and money into Iraq from Syria, said General Caldwell, who described Mr. Jubouri’s death as “significant.” The general also said Mr. Jubouri was involved in hiding and moving the kidnapped Christian Science Monitor reporter Jill Carroll; she was held for two months before being released.

Detainees told American officials that Mr. Jubouri had personal custody of Mr. Fox, an American, and was the last one seen holding him before Mr. Fox was killed, General Caldwell said. Mr. Fox, one of four men from the Chicago-based peace group Christian Peacemaker Teams working in Iraq, was found shot to death in Baghdad on March 10, 2006.

The two Germans were kidnapped in January 2006.

Mr. Jubouri was first captured by coalition forces in 2003 and then was released in 2004, after which he traveled to Syria, where he has family, General Caldwell said. He described Mr. Jubouri as a close associate of Mr. Masri.

American forces have no evidence to confirm reports yesterday from the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior that Mr. Masri had been killed, the general said, nor do they have evidence to confirm reports that Mr. al-Baghdadi was killed.

American forces identified Mr. Jubouri’s body using photographs, and then released it for transportation to a mosque for burial. When the car carrying the body was stopped at an Iraqi checkpoint, the Iraqi forces took possession of the body, and may have thought it was someone else.

DNA testing confirmed the photo identification of Mr. al-Jubouri on Wednesday.

General Caldwell said that Mr. Jubouri was killed while resisting detention at 1:42 a.m. on Tuesday, during coalition military strikes against 29 targets over three days. He said that in all, 95 militants were detained in the raids and 15 were killed.

The raid in which Mr. Jubouri was killed with four other people was conducted on four buildings in a town north of Baghdad and four miles west of the Taji air base. Six people were detained.

In April, American forces conducted 139 operations specifically aimed at Al Qaeda in Iraq, killing 87 and detaining 465, General Caldwell said.