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US Kills al-Qaeda in Iraq's No. 2

Insurgent leader specialized in recruiting

By the Associated Press

Posted Oct 15, 2008 10:48 AM CDT

(AP) – American troops acting on a tip killed the No. 2 leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq—a Moroccan known for his ability to recruit and motivate foreign fighters—in a raid in the northern city of Mosul, the US military said today. The man, known as Abu Qaswarah, was a charismatic leader who had trained in Afghanistan and managed to rally al-Qaeda followers in Iraq despite US and Iraqi security gains.

The insurgent became the senior al-Qaeda in Iraq emir in June 2007 and had "historic ties to AQI founder Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and senior al-Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan and Pakistan," the military said. Abu Qaswarah directed the smuggling of foreign terrorists into northern Iraq and reportedly killed those who tried to return to their homelands rather than carry out suicide bombings and other attacks against Iraqis.

A US soldier inspects a building after a bomb went off in Dora neighborhood, southwestern Baghdad,on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008.
A US soldier inspects a building after a bomb went off in Dora neighborhood, southwestern Baghdad,on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008.   (LOAY HAMEED)
Soldiers pass a burning vehicle in Hussein Hamadi village, Diyala Province, Iraq, Monday, Oct. 29, 2007.
Soldiers pass a burning vehicle in Hussein Hamadi village, Diyala Province, Iraq, Monday, Oct. 29, 2007.   (AP Photo/SSG Russell Bassett, US Army)
A mother mourns for her son, who was killed by al-Qaeda gunmen in the city of Baqouba, some 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Aug. 30, 2007.
A mother mourns for her son, who was killed by al-Qaeda gunmen in the city of Baqouba, some 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Aug. 30, 2007.   (AP Photo)
US Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll, spokesman for the Multi-National Force in Iraq, gives an update in Baghdad, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008. Pictured in background is Abu Qaswarah.
US Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll, spokesman for the Multi-National Force in Iraq, gives an update in Baghdad, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008. Pictured in background is Abu Qaswarah.   (AP Photo/Ali Abbas, Pool)
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