Abu Ayyub al Masri Captured in Mosul?
Great news, if it gets confirmed.The Iraqi military claimed Abu Ayyub al Masri, al Qaeda in Iraq’s leader, has been captured in the northern city of Mosul in Ninewa province. The US military has not confirmed the report of al Masri’s capture. Al Masri's capture would provide a potential intelligence boon on al Qaeda's network in Iraq and its connections to the international organization.
Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammed al Askari said al Masri’s capture was “confirmed to him by the Iraqi commander of the province,” The Associated Press reported. The person believed to be al Masri has been transferred to US custody for identification, according to Askari. Iraqi troops arrested the man believed to be al Masri while he was sleeping in a safe house. Iraqi troops received intelligence from a captured operative, and the man admitted to being al Masri. The capture was also announced on Iraqiya Television, the state-run TV network, AP reported.
The Iraqi government has a history of announcing the capture of senior al Qaeda leaders, only to have to retract the statements. The Iraqi government had made several claims of wounding, killing and capturing both al Masri and Abu Omar al Baghdadi, the fictitious leader of al Qaeda’s Islamic State of Iraq, several times during 2007. The reports turned out to be false or cases of mistaken identity.
Labels: Abu Ayyub al Masri, Al Qaeda in Iraq, Bill Roggio, Iraq, Mosul
posted by The WordSmith from Nantucket at 5/08/2008 10:54:00 PM
4 Comments:
If only AQ were not like the hydra! The group seems capable of growing new heads every time one head gets cut off.
Still, if we can continue nabbing and knocking off the group's leaders, that's progress.
Uh oh! It's not al Masri after all. I just heard the info about that mistaken identity on the morning news.
Not al-Masri says Pentagon. Just a guy running around with bad guys shouting 'I am Spartacus!' AG guys have big egos; maybe the real al-Masri will poke his head out his hole so we can blow him away. It's happened before.
I was going to tell you it wasn't him,but Always and Indigo beat me to it. I'm not surprised it wasn't him. As you said, this wouldn't be the first time.
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