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Zarqawi No. 2 killed in Baghdad operation | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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A suicide car bomber attacked a police checkpoint guarding several government ministries as Iraqi employees arrived at work Monday morning, 26 September, killing at least seven policemen and three workers, police said (AP)


A suicide car bomber attacked a police checkpoint guarding several government ministries as Iraqi employees arrived at work Monday morning, 26 September, killing at least seven policemen and three workers, police said (AP)

A suicide car bomber attacked a police checkpoint guarding several government ministries as Iraqi employees arrived at work Monday morning, 26 September, killing at least seven policemen and three workers, police said (AP)

BAGHDAD, Sept 27 (Reuters) – The second-in-command of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Azzam, was shot and killed by U.S.-led forces in Baghdad on Sunday, the U.S. military confirmed on Tuesday.

Azzam, a financier and religious aide to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was shot and killed while hiding out in a high-rise apartment building in the capital, the military said.

&#34We had a tip from an Iraqi citizen that led us to him,&#34 said Lieutenant-Colonel Steve Boylan, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Iraq. &#34It was a joint U.S.-Iraqi operation. We”ve been tracking him for a while.&#34

Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari was expected to reveal more details about the operation that led to Azzam”s death at a news conference scheduled for 1100 GMT in Baghdad.

The New York Times reported that Central Intelligence Agency operatives were involved in the operation that led to Azzam”s killing, but Boylan could not confirm that.

It is also not known what nationality Azzam was, or whether he was alone when he was shot and killed.

Also known as Sheikh Abdullah Abu Azzam, Zarqawi”s number 2 was referred to as the Emir of Anbar, the province west of Baghdad that has been the heartland of Zarqawi”s operations.

A $50,000 reward was on offer for information leading to his death or capture.

Al Qaeda in Iraq, which is linked to Osama bin Laden”s al Qaeda network, is one of the most feared militant groups in the country and claims responsibility for many of the deadliest attacks.

The group also recently declared &#34all-out war&#34 on Iraq”s majority Shi”ite population in an effort to provoke a sectarian civil war and drive the country further into chaos.

Zarqawi, for whom U.S. authorities are offering a $25 million bounty, is believed to be hiding out in the Euphrates river valley that runs northwest from Baghdad towards the border with Syria.

U.S. forces have mounted repeated offensives in that region to try to track Zarqawi down. In recent months, several of his close associates, including drivers and junior commanders, have been captured or killed, the U.S. military has said.

Earlier this year, the U.S. military thought it came close to seizing Zarqawi during an operation near the city of Ramadi, about 110 km (68 miles) west of Baghdad, but he escaped. He was later wounded in fighting, his organisation said at the time.

Boylan said he did not know what sort of intelligence was gathered from the apartment where Azzam was shot, but said his death showed progress in the battle against al Qaeda in Iraq.

&#34This shows that we are actively going after the network. We”ve taken down the number two in the network and that is going to have an impact,&#34 he said. &#34And whoever replaces him as number two, we will go after him as well.&#34

An Iraqi woman, who's son is missing following a Baghdad, Iraq car bombing Monday Sept. 26 2005, wipes her eyes while waiting at the scene (AP)

An Iraqi woman, who’s son is missing following a Baghdad, Iraq car bombing Monday Sept. 26 2005, wipes her eyes while waiting at the scene (AP)

Iraqi firemen extinguish a burning vehicle following a car bomb attack in central Baghdad which exploded as a convoy of foreign contractors was driving past on Al-Nidhal Street, wounding five Iraqi civilians, police said, 27 September 2005, (REUTERS)

Iraqi firemen extinguish a burning vehicle following a car bomb attack in central Baghdad which exploded as a convoy of foreign contractors was driving past on Al-Nidhal Street, wounding five Iraqi civilians, police said, 27 September 2005, (REUTERS)

Military handout photo of suspected al-Qaeda second in command Abu Azzam in Iraq (R)

Military handout photo of suspected al-Qaeda second in command Abu Azzam in Iraq (R)