BAGHDAD – A regional al-Qaeda leader was killed on Tuesday as US and Iraqi forces continue to put pressure on the terrorist organisation following the reported deaths of its two top-ranking figures over the weekend, officials said. Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Masri were killed in a joint operation Sunday in what US Vice President Joe Biden called a "potentially devastating blow" to al-Qaeda in Iraq. The joint forces quickly followed that up with a morning raid yesterday. US and Iraqi forces acting on intelligence information killed suspected insurgent leader Ahmed al-Obeidi in the northern province of Ninevah, Iraqi military spokesman Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi said. Al-Moussawi added the slain insurgent, known as Abu Suhaib, was in charge of al-Qaeda in Iraq's operations in the provinces of Kirkuk, Salahuddin and Ninevah. US military spokesman Maj. Gen. Stephen Lanza said American and Iraqi security forces would be keeping pressure on al-Qaeda. "They're still a threat here, and we will not lose sight of that," he told reporters. Al-Qaeda in Iraq has remained a dangerous force as the US prepares to withdraw most of its troops.
