U.S. says kills senior Qaeda leader in west Iraq

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – U.S. forces killed 12 militants in
western Iraq including an al Qaeda leader responsible for
attacks around Ramadi, a focus of the Sunni Arab insurgency,
the U.S. military said on Thursday.

A statement said Sa’ad Ali Firas Muntar al-Dulaimi, also
known as Abu Abdullah, was among 12 people killed in a series
of October 15 raids on suspected insurgents in Ramadi, about 68
miles west of Baghdad.

The statement said Dulaimi was “highly regarded” by top al
Qaeda leaders in Iraq including the group’s chief, Jordanian
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

“(Dulaimi) was chiefly responsible for planning and
executing all terrorist attacks on Iraqi and Coalition forces
in the Ramadi and Falluja areas,” the statement said.

Ramadi and Falluja in western Anbar province are both
bastions of Sunni Arab insurgents who have waged a bloody
campaign of bombings, murders and kidnappings against the U.S.-
backed Baghdad government.

U.S. forces have conducted a series of operations against
insurgents around the two cities and areas to the west over the
past three weeks to try to impose security ahead of last
Saturday’s constitutional referendum in Iraq.