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Senior Al Qaeda Muharib Abdul Latif killed by US troops
Sweet Senior al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Muharib Abdul Latif, implicated in the kidnapping of American journalist Jill Carroll and the death of peace activist Tom Fox, was killed by U.S. troops on Monday as part of a three-day strike against the insurgent group. that led to the death and capture of dozens of suspected terrorists.The 72-hour Operation Rat Trap led to the death of 15 and the capture of 95 insurgents as coalition forces targeted al-Qaeda sites outside the city of Taji, north of Baghdad, U.S. military spokesperson Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell said today. He characterized the operation as a significant blow to the organization. Latif was identified as al-Qaeda in Iraq's senior information minister, responsible for crafting propaganda efforts and coordinating the flow of money and foreign fighters. He was also involved in the kidnapping of Carroll, who was released, and was said to be the last person who saw Fox before he was shot multiple times, Caldwell said. He was also linked to the kidnapping of two Germans in early 2006. "Picking up somebody with that kind of history, that is significant -- to be able to stop that kind of activity," Caldwell said. "Taking him off the street is a good thing." The announcement of Latif's death clears up several days of confusion over the purported death of a top ranking insurgent leader. In recent days Iraqi officials and media reported first the death of al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Ayyub al-Masri, then today reported the death of reported Islamic State in Iraq leader Abu Omar al-Baghdadi. Caldwell said al-Masri had not been killed and that U.S. officials are not even sure who al-Baghdadi is. I'm not at all sure about that last statement. If we know who he is, I'm sure the military does.
Posted by: mrp 2007-05-03 |
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