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    Friday, April 24, 2009

    Iraqis credits intelligence 'tipoff' for capture
    of Al Qaida commander

    BAGHDAD — Iraq has reported the capture of a leading Al Qaida commander.   

    Officials said Iraqi security forces have detained Abu Omar Al Baghdadi, identified as the commander of Islamic State of Iraq. Islamic State of Iraq has been described as an umbrella group controlled by Al Qaida, Middle East Newsline reported.

    "Iraqi forces who arrested him based on an intelligence tipoff," Iraq Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta said.

    Al Baghdadi, not believed to be his real name, has issued audio and video statements in support of Al Qaida and an Islamic state in Iraq. In March 2009, Al Baghdadi issued a 17-minute audio message in which he declared U.S. plans to withdraw from Iraq as the mark of defeat.

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    At one point, U.S. officials expressed doubts whether Al Baghdadi was a real person rather than a composite. They said captured Al Qaida agents had been unable to disclose Al Baghdadi's identity.

    The capture of Al Baghdadi on April 23 in eastern Baghdad capped two months of Al Qaida-aligned strikes in central and northern Iraq. At least 78 people were reported to have been killed in Baghdad and Diyala on April 23 in what marked the bloodiest day in Iraq in 2009.

    The U.S. military has not confirmed the capture of Al Baghdadi. Over the last two years, Iraq announced the capture of several Al Qaida commanders, only to retract the claims days later.

    "I can't confirm the capture of a senior Al Qaida member or that it was Baghdadi," Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said. "I certainly hope that it's true. It would be very good news."  

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