BAGHDAD (AFP) - American forces killed an Al-Qaeda chieftain in the lawless western Iraqi city of Ramadi by destroying his car with a laser guided bomb, the US military said.
"Rafa Abdul Salam Hamud al-Ithawi, also known as Abu Taha, was the emir of Shamiyyah," it said. "He frequently harboured foreign fighters who entered Iraq illegally in order to assault innocent Iraqis and coalition forces."
Ithawi was killed on Wednesday along with his driver, "diminishing the al-Qaeda in Iraq network," the statement said.
Ramadi has become the focus of the battle between US forces and Sunni Arab insurgents fighting under the Al-Qaeda banner. Last week a US spokesman said marines were fighting to take back the city.
On October 15, Al-Qaeda militants held a brief parade in central Ramadi to declare the region an independent emirate, scoring a propaganda victory, but fierce fighting has continued since.
one down, 25,000,000 to go.........
