Iraqi Commandos Say They Captured Leader Of Al-Qaida In Iraq

Published: May 9, 2008

BAGHDAD - Iraqi police commandos captured the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq in a raid in the northern city of Mosul, Iraqi officials said Thursday, in what could mark a significant blow to the Sunni insurgency in its last urban stronghold.

Iraqi Defense Ministry Spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said the arrest of Abu Ayyub al-Masri, aka Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, was reported by the Iraqi commander in Mosul, where insurgents have sought to establish a foothold after being widely uprooted from Baghdad and surrounding areas last year.

The U.S. military in Baghdad said it was "checking with Iraqi authorities to confirm the accuracy of this information."

Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said the arrest occurred "at midnight and during the primary investigations he admitted that he is Abu Hamza al-Muhajir."

Khalaf told Iraqi state television that al-Masri was arrested during a police raid, but gave no other details.

"Now a broader investigation of him is being conducted," he said.

His apprehension would carry major symbolic value for Iraqi commanders, who have led operations in the Mosul area and have sought to counter worries that Iraqi forces lack the training and discipline to wage a head-on fight against insurgents.

It's unclear how much the reported loss of al-Masri would disrupt al-Qaida in Iraq or its long-term ability to wage suicide attacks and other strikes. Al-Masri took over al-Qaida in Iraq after its leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was killed June 7, 2006, in a U.S. airstrike northeast of Baghdad.

The pace of insurgent attacks remained strong, however, as al-Masri took charge.

There have, however, been false alarms in the past about al-Masri. At least twice, in 2006 and May 2007, reports circulated that al-Masri was dead, but they were later proved wrong.

Any direct links are murky between al-Masri's insurgents and the terror network of Osama bin Laden.