Top militant leader detained in Iraq

12 January, 2011 11:38

Iraqi security forces have arrested a senior militant leader with alleged links to the al-Qaeda-inspired Islamic State of Iraq network in the northern province of Diyala.The self-styled leader of the militant group, identified as Samer Abdul Rahim al-Zuheiri, was caught on Tuesday in the city of Khanaqin, located 155 km (96 miles) northeast of the capital Baghdad, after police authorities received a tip off on his Â whereabouts, an Iraqi police source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency Tuesday on condition of anonymity.

The local leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq was wanted in connection with training militants and funneling funds to the shadowy group for a series of deadly terror attacks in Diyala province.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq is a shadowy group reportedly led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Zarqawi has been reported killed in June 2006.

According to US government and military officials, the group was then led by Ayyub al-Masri, who was killed along with Abu Omar al-Baghdadi — another leader of the group — in a joint Iraqi-US operation in Salahuddin province in April 2010.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq has been blamed for some of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the country since the US-led invasion of the country began in 2003.