| Confusion persists over iraq alqaeda leaders identity { May 10 2008 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active) http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/10/MN5F10K3RT.DTLhttp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/10/MN5F10K3RT.DTL
U.S. says captured man is not al Qaeda in Iraq leader Sholnn Freeman,Zaid Sabah, Washington Post
Saturday, May 10, 2008
(05-10) 04:00 PDT Baghdad --
A U.S. military spokesman said a man detained Thursday in northern Iraq is not wanted terrorist Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the leader of the Sunni insurgent group al Qaeda in Iraq.
"It's not him," the military spokesman said.
Iraqi police announced early Friday that al-Masri, also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, had been found sleeping during a midnight raid of a house in the northern city of Mosul and had confessed his identity in an interrogation - a development that would have been a significant coup for Iraqi security forces.
The U.S. military spokesman, however, said there was apparently confusion because the man who was captured has a similar name.
Al-Masri - whom the Iraqis also reported had been killed last May - is believed to be an Egyptian, about 40 years old and an associate of Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. He is believed to have taken over the leadership of al Qaeda in Iraq after the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in a U.S. air strike in June 2006.
Since Zarqawi's death, the group has continued a campaign of killing while pushing its strict interpretation of Islam.
In recent weeks, suicide bombers acting in a manner consistent with al Qaeda in Iraq attackers have struck funerals, wedding parties and police and military checkpoints. The attacks chiefly target Sunnis who have joined forces with the U.S. military.
Also on Friday, Shiite militants launched rockets toward the fortified Green Zone, taking advantage of a sandstorm that gave cover from attacks by U.S. aircraft. Some rockets fell short, including one that damaged the British Broadcasting Corp. bureau.
At least seven other rocket explosions were heard. U.S. authorities did not confirm any strikes inside the Green Zone, which includes the U.S. Embassy and much of the Iraqi government.
The rocket salvos have come in response to a U.S.-led push into Sadr City, the Baghdad stronghold of the powerful Mahdi Army led by anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. One of the American objectives is to push militants deeper into the district and put their rockets and mortars out of range for the Green Zone.
But that also has increased the chances of the shells falling short into civilian areas. One rocket hit the roof of the BBC bureau, leaving a 3-by-5 foot hole.
U.S. authorities plan to complete a barrier - up to 12 feet tall - in parts of Sadr City. It seeks to cut off militia movement and enable the military to exert more control over the most restive section of the district - a vast slum of about 2.5 million people.
The street battles in Sadr City began in March, after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, began a crackdown on Shiite armed groups in the southern city of Basra. He has vowed to disarm the Mahdi Army and others who operate outside government control.
Aid groups say at least 6,000 people have fled their homes in Sadr City to escape the fighting and seek help as food and medical supplies dwindle.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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