Iraqi army: Iraqi al-Qaida leader held

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

BAGHDAD - The Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman says the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq has been arrested in the northern city of Mosul.

Spokesman Mohammed al-Askari says the arrest of Abu Ayyub al-Masri, also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, was confirmed to him by the Iraqi commander of the province.

There was no immediate confirmation from U.S. forces on the arrest.




This undated file photo originally released by the U.S. Military at a press conference in Baghdad, Iraq Thursday, June 15, 2006, purports to show al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri. An Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman said Thursday, May 8, 2008 that Abu Ayyub al-Masri has been arrested in northern city of Mosul.
(AP Photo/U.S. Military)

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080508/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_al_qaida_1;_

---

some old archved DU threads and an interesting link from yesterday:

Report: Al-Qaida in Iraq leader identified with photograph
1 day ago

~snip~

The Dubai-based network, citing an Iraqi police official, said the real name of Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, who allegedly heads the Islamic State of Iraq, is Hamid Dawoud al-Zawi.

Originally from Haditha, al-Baghdadi served in the Iraqi army under Saddam Hussein, then joined al-Qaida in 2003, the police official told Al-Arabiya.

The U.S. has described al-Baghdadi as a fictitious character

more:http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gkl5DzqgKJb0NCXXYbugsj94tP_Q


Bush's puppet Iraqi govt. swears Al-masri killed for the third time. Bush says its not true again
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x806606

Rice Puts $5 Million Bounty on Al-Masri (AP)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2365740

[crim son]

1. Good. They've got their man,

now it's time for us to leave.

[Parche]

2. Is This The Number One , Or Two?

And is it Al-Kida Iraq, (AQI) Al-Kida Iran (AQR)
Al-Kida US (AQU)
Al-Kida Caves that no one in the world can find (AQC)
:shrug: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

:hi:

[rosesaylavee]

7. No... It's #2 for about the 10th time.

Wish I had been collecting these stories & photos since 2001. We could have made fortune selling them as cards. A pack of deuces - all #2s.

And what is sad, everyone will believe this to be the truth though it will never have any validation from any other source other than our so-called government.

[Narkos]

3. Good. Time to leave now.

[mcollier]

4. Awesome...

One down... Shoot him up with some truth potion and get some intel... maybe we can wrap this up.

[matt007]

5. One down.........big one to go

There is still a more important Al.

Al-Sadr.

Al Qaeda in Iraq ws a transplant after the war. It is in the process of evaporating.


The Mahdi Army is the problem child. Oh and the fact that our inept puppet government is just as incompitent as our own.

[Narkos]

6. Al Sadr's not going anywhere

The Sadr movement has a big following. Killing him will DEFINITELY start a civil war. The problem is not Sadr, the problem is that we've given the reins of power over to Iran (Dawa, ISCI). It's too late, we might as well cut bait.

[pinniped]

8. That looks like al-Zarqawi.

He has risen from the dead and his leg has regenerated.

[Eugene]

9. CNN: "...intelligence officials said they were skeptical..."

Source: CNN

updated 48 minutes ago

Iraqis report capture of al Qaeda in Iraq leader

-snip-

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The leader of al Qaeda in Iraq was
captured early Thursday in the northern city of Mosul, Iraqi
officials said.

U.S. military officials were surprised about the report of
Abu Ayyub al-Masri's capture -- first reported by Iraqi media
and picked up by The Associated Press -- and intelligence
officials said they were skeptical, even though Iraqi
officials said he was already in U.S. military custody.

Al-Masri ("the Egyptian"), also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajer,
took the reins of the Iraqi al Qaeda offshoot in June 2006
after a U.S. missile strike killed his predecessor, Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi.

Since then, Iraqi officials have reported his death three
times, his capture twice and a mortal wounding once.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/05/08/iraq.alqaeda/index.html

[SunDrop23]

10. What about that other guy...bin Laden or something like that?

[Olddoggy]

11. Al-Qaeda in Iraq Leader Arrested

Source: Time Magazine Online

May 8, 2008

(BAGHDAD) — The leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, was arrested in the northern city of Mosul, the Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman said Thursday. Mohammed al-Askari said the arrest of al-Masri, also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, was confirmed to him by the Iraqi commander of the province. There was no immediate confirmation or comment from U.S. forces.

News of the arrest was also reported by Iraqi state television.

"The commander of Ninevah military operations informed me that Iraqi troops captured Abu Hamza al-Muhajir the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq," al-Askari told The Associated Press by telephone.

He did not have any further details nor did he say when the al-Qaeda leader was arrested. According to unconfirmed reports, however, he was caught Thursday evening in the Tayran area in central Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad. Mosul is currently a major battleground for U.S. forces and al-Qaeda.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1738632,00.html

---

This is Al Qaeda's #1 in Iraq--the man who replaced Zarqawi.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

12. Another one?

I'm beginning to think Al Qaeda is organized kind of like a smallish bank, where almost everybody is a vice president. Every Al Qaeda guy who gets caught is a "leader."

[Olddoggy]

13. Well, this one was definitely the #1

I remember when Zarqawi died that his picture was widely circulated and he was said to be the new Al Qaeda leader.

CNN called him "the new terror chief" in 2006:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/06/15/iraq.main/index.html

[Hissyspit]

14. Oh, definitely, hunh?

Because the U.S. military and the mainstream media said so. And they're always right.

[Faulkner]

15. They said it in 2006, not today

Even 2 years before his arrest, Al-Masri was said to be Al Qaeda's #1. He replaced Zarqawi. You are insinuating that they just came up with a random name and said some obscure #1 was arrested. This is not the case.

[chknltl]

16. Tombstoned on first post????

In thread where OP is TSed in first thread? This is sorta bizarre isn't it?

[Lasher]

17. Wow, this has got to be a record.

I'm almost afraid to post anything in this thread. :scared:

[KitchenWitch]

18. ...

:tinfoilhat:

[krispos42]

21. Not enough, KW...

You need these!!!

[Lasher]

25. Good to go here

[chknltl]

28. TOOOOO PRECIOUS!!!

:rofl: Those expressions... :rofl: :rofl:

[Lasher]

32. I love that photo!

I think I can pretty much guess what that kitty is thinking. Don't know who the guy is, I just found the picture with a Google image search.

[chknltl]

34. Definitely a keeper

:rofl:

[jeff30997]

19. Me too!

The mod is working for the Government...or al-Qaeda...I'm all confused!:scared:

[Elidor]

20. Mwahahaha!

Nice work, mods.

[Tunkamerica]

36. when you sign up don't you need to give an email addy?

maybe its a repeat offender?

[chknltl]

37. Yes but that can be gotten around I think.

I have changed my e-mail address 4 times in 5 years. I am on my third computer in those 5 years as well.

btw: I posted a link back to this thread in a lounge thread. In it I got a response from one of our mods informing us that these two newbies were deliberately TSed. The fact that Falkner had only 1 post leads me to believe that he/she was indeed known to the mods yet had managed to find a way past the automated method for registering. I am barely computer literate so I have no clue how this was accomplished, nor how the OP snuck in and was caught either. I'm just glad that BOTH were caught early prior to any disruption....we have had enough dissension around here lately as it is...(which appears to be settling down since yesterday...thank God!)

[Hissyspit]

41. They were getting things wrong back in 2006, too.

Actually what I'm doing is questioning the whole concept of a #1, the same way I will question the concept of al Qaeda in Iraq.

If you have gone through the past eight years and have no healthy skeptism of the swill that comes from the spokespeople for the Pentagon and the Bush administration and from the mainstream corporate media, then you have not been paying attention.

By the way, bye-bye.

[ronnie624]

40. I was going to reply to that poster, but he's already gone.

From his article:

The Defense Intelligence Agency declassified the photograph on Wednesday at the U.S. military's request, said U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell at a news conference in Baghdad, adding that he had no idea how the DIA got the photo.

I'm very skeptical.

[Muttocracy]

26. I wonder how middle mgmt in AQ feels - excited for guaranteed promotions, or dreading them?

[Lasher]

33. Well they do have a pretty good benefits package.

What with all them virgins and everything.

[Muttocracy]

42. :-D !

[TheWatcher]

22. Oh Yeah!

[Wetzelbill]

23. I had to k&r this just for the quick granite cookies

Historic mod crackdown!

Yet somehow I have lasted almost 5 years here.

[Lasher]

24. I am inspired to emulate

And wonder how I have also eveaded the pizza.

[Wetzelbill]

29. what's even more messed up is all of my worst enemies

have been TSed. I really don't even have an Ignore list anymore because they all have been sent packing. I must have some voodoo thing protecting me. I think I have two people on Ignore now and one of them is still Al Capone.

[Lasher]

35. Maybe you're just a good Democrat

And maybe people piss you off when they demean our party and its ideals. :thumbsup:

[crimsonblue]

27. I don't know how I made it through my first week here...

I said a lot of stupid shit...

[Lasher]

30. Well it looks like you'll have your first 1K soon.

Saying stupid shit is OK, just look around (yes, including my posts). Saying pro-wingnut shit is not, and I'm grateful for that.

[Wetzelbill]

31. hell I still do

:)

[NMDemDist2]

43. yeah, but it was on the left side of the stupid fence

:hug:

:rofl:

[maddezmom]

38. US military denies Iraq report of al-Qaida arrest

US military denies Iraq report of al-Qaida arrest By PATRICK QUINN, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 11 minutes ago

BAGHDAD - The U.S. military on Friday denied Iraqi government claims that the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq was captured and said a man with a similar name had been arrested in the northern city of Mosul.

Iraqi authorities had announced Thursday that police commandos captured Abu Ayyub al-Masri in a raid in the northern city of Mosul.

"Neither coalition forces nor Iraqi security forces detained or killed Abu Ayyub al-Masri. This guy had a similar name," said Maj. Peggy Kageleiry, a U.S. military spokeswoman in northern Iraq. She said no additional details were being immediately provided.

Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said the confusion arose because the commander of Iraqi forces in northern Ninevah province was convinced that he had arrested al-Masri — also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080509/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq;_ylt=Ajjf4MiGuJQU6yw8TqCznrtvaA8F

[sabra]

39. Feb 15 2007: Iraqi terror leader reported wounded

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/02/15/iraq.main/index.html

Iraqi terror leader reported wounded

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The leader of al Qaeda in Iraq has been wounded and his top aide killed in a clash with police, an Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman told CNN Thursday.

Brig. Gen. Abdul Karim Khalaf said Iraqi police got into a firefight with insurgents on the road between Falluja, west of Baghdad, and Samarra, north of Baghdad, and wounded Abu Ayyub al-Masri.

Abu Abdullah al-Majamiai, al-Masri's top aide, was killed, he said. (Watch how an Iraqi minister described the firefight )

The group was trying to enter the town of Balad, Khalaf said.

Khalaf said Iraqi police have the body of al-Majamiai.

CNN could not independently confirm the report and CNN's Michael Ware in Baghdad said Iraqi officials would not say whether al-Masri was in custody.

The U.S. military -- who wrongly reported last October that al-Masri had been killed -- referred reporters to the Iraqi government.