American troops acting on a tip killed the No. 2 leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, a Moroccan, in a raid on one of the terror group’s command centers in the north, the U.S. military said Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The Oct. 5 death of the man known as Abu Qaswarah was a major blow to the terror network as American commanders have warned it remains a significant threat. The military statement described him as a charismatic leader who trained in Afghanistan and managed to rally al-Qaida followers in Iraq despite U.S. and Iraqi security gains.<\/p>\n
The insurgent leader, also known as Abu Sara, became the senior al-Qaida in Iraq emir of northern Iraq in June 2007 and had “historic ties to AQI founder Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and senior al-Qaida leaders in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” the military said.<\/p>\n