CNN: Iraqi government: al Qaeda in Iraq leader wounded; top aide dead

[Frustratedlady]

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Iraqi police have wounded the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq and killed his top aide, a spokesman for the Iraqi Interior Ministry told CNN Thursday.

The spokesman said Iraqi police encountered an insurgent group on the road between Falluja and Samarra and, in a firefight, wounded Abu Ayyub al-Masri, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's successor as leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. Abu Abdullah al-Majamiai, al-Masri's top aide, was killed, he said.

The spokesman said Iraqi police have the body of al-Majamiai and would not comment on the whereabouts of al-Masri.