3:08pm UK, Saturday October 04, 2008
An al Qaeda leader suspected of masterminding a series of deadly attacks in Baghdad has been killed, the US military says.
Al Zubaydi is thought be behind Thursday's Baghdad bomb attacks
Mahir Ahmad Mahmud Judu' al Zubaydi, also known as Abu Assad or Abu Rami, was killed by coalition troops during a firefight in the capital.
"Acting in self-defence, coalition forces returned fire, killing Abu Rami and a female," a US military statement said.
The woman was al Zubaydi's wife, the military added.
Al Zubaydi is thought to have been one of Iraq's most senior al Qaeda insurgents.
He is alleged to have directed the insurgent cell believed to be responsible for the Baghdad mosque bomb attacks that killed dozens of Shi'ite muslims on Thursday.
The military also blames him for several car bombings and mortar attacks in Baghdad's main Shi'ite district of Sadr City in 2006 and 2007, killing hundreds of people.
He is also believed to have planned and participated in abductions and videotaped executions, including one in which he was seen shooting one of four kidnapped Russians.
Al Zubaydi's death is expected to be a major blow to al Qaeda in Iraq.
US military spokesman Rear Admiral Patrick Driscoll said: "His removal from the AQI network will send shockwaves through Baghdad's terrorist bombing networks."
Al Zubaydi is believed to have originally been a member of the Sunni insurgent group Ansar al Islam and joined al Qaeda in Iraq in 2004.
He was the terror network's military "emir" in eastern Baghdad "before taking over responsibility for all terrorist operations there this year," the military said in the statement.
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