Al Qaida 'prime minister' of 'Islamic state of Iraq' captured
BAGHDAD — A senior Al Qaida commander has been captured in Iraq.
The Iraqi Defense Ministry reported the arrest of the chief of the
Al Qaida-aligned Islamic State of Iraq. The commander and two of his
lieutenants were reportedly located in the Diyala province.
The ministry identified the Al Qaida commander as Khaldoun Abudllah Al
Dhalaki. Al Dhalaki was the so-called prime minister of
Islamic State of Iraq, which has sought to convert Iraq into an Islamic
caliphate.
No other details were given by the Defense Ministry. In early May, the
Interior Ministry asserted that Al Qaida network chief Abu Ayoub Al Masri
was captured in Mosul. Two days later, the assertion was retracted.
Still, officials said they were intensifying efforts to identify and
track major insurgents. Iraqi police have disclosed the identity of Islamic
State of Iraq chief, Abu Omar Al Baghdadi.
Police said Al Baghdadi's real name is Hamid Daoud Mohammed Khalil Al
Zawi, a former officer in Saddam Hussein's General Security Directorate.
Officials said Al Zawi, 50, shuttles between Baghdad and Mosul and hides in
Kurdish areas. The U.S. military was said to be investigating the claim.
On May 12, the U.S. military reported the destruction of an Al Qaida
training base south of Baghdad. The military said F-16 multi-role fighters
destroyed the underground base in Arab Jabour.
