"Coalition forces will continue to target the Al Qaida network to
further diminish its ability to conduct terrorist attacks against the Iraqi
people," U.S. military spokesman Maj. John Hall said.
Over the last month, Iraqi and U.S. forces have been targeting the Al
Qaida leadership in Diyala. At one point, officials said, Al Qaida network
commander Abu Ayoub Al Masri was tracked to an unidentified village in
central Diyala.
On Sept. 19, a senior Al Qaida operative was killed in the area of
Tikrit, the hometown of the late President Saddam Hussein. Officials said
the operative, killed in a U.S. air strike, was identified as the leader of
a bombing cell based in Dawr, 140 kilometers northwest of Baghdad.
The unidentified IED facilitator was said to have been linked to a spate
of improvised explosive device attacks in the area of Muqdadiyah area. Since
Aug. 1, more than 25 IED strikes, killing 38 people, were reported in
Muqdadiyah.
"His network operated in the Tigris River Valley and is suspected of
conducting suicide bombings," the military said. "The targeted terrorist
allegedly worked for the suspected emir of Diyala, detained on Sept. 2."
This was at least the third senior Al Qaida operative killed in northern
Iraq in September. Hadi Mohammed Hussein Darwish, also known as Abu Jassim,
was killed on Sept. 9 during an operation near Kirkuk. Officials said
Darwish, appointed in April 2008, was the Al Qaida network leader in the
Tamim province, which included Kirkuk.
"Abu Jassim's [Darwish] suicide leaves AQI with a leadership void in a
time when few experienced terrorist leaders are available to take over,"
U.S. military spokesman Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll said.
On Sept. 2, the Al Qaida commander of Diyala was captured in Bayji, 160
kilometers south of Mosul. The commander, identified as Jamal Mohammed Alwan
Nafi, was said to have overseen Al Qaida operations in Diyala as well as
the smuggling of weapons and fighters for suicide attacks in Baghdad. Nafi,
also known as Abu Anas, was identified in a letter believed written by Al
Masri
and found by U.S. forces in December 2007.
"Because his area of responsibility was so large and active, ranging
from the southern portion of Diyala — known for smuggling of weapons and
fighters to support suicide attacks in Baghdad — to the Hamrin Mountains,
Abu Anas is suspected of being one of the primary AQI leaders," the military
said.
Nafi was said to have helped organize female suicide bombers in Diyala.
Since December 2007, more than half of all suicide bombings executed by
females were in Diyala. The attacks in Diyala have killed 108
Iraqis and injured 273, mostly civilians.
"The removal of these two provincial-level leaders will force Al Qaida
in Iraq to fill these key, senior positions with less experienced members,
all while Iraqi and coalition forces capitalize on information from Abu
Anas's capture and target members of his network," Driscoll said. "This is a
one-two punch that will significantly set back terrorist organization in
Iraq."
