United States identifies new Al-Qaeda leader in Iraq as Egyptian Abu Ayyub Al-Masri
{{date|June 16, 2006}}

The [[w:United States|U.S.]] identified the new [[w:Al-Qaeda|Al-Qaeda]] leader in [[w:Iraq|Iraq]] as [[w:Abu Ayyub Al-Masri|Abu Ayyub al-Masri]], an Egyptian with ties to [[w:Ayman al-Zawahiri|Ayman al-Zawahiri]]. Zawahiri was the number two in command of Al-Qaeda.

"We think that Abu Ayyub al-Masri is in fact, probably, [[w:Abu Hamza al-Muhajir|Abu Hamza al-Muhajir]]. They are probably one and the same" said Major General William Caldwell, spokesman for the U.S. military in Iraq.

Abu Ayyub al-Masri is thought to specialise in bomb making.

The announcement came eight days after Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who had been identified by al-Qaeda as its leader in Iraq, had been "terminated" in a U.S. airstrike near Baqubah.

==Related news==
*{{wikinews|title=Abu Musab al-Zarqawi killed in airstrike|date=}}

==Sources==
* {{Source | author= | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/16/iraq/main1720061.shtml | title=U.S. IDs New Iraq Terror Chief | pub=CBS News | date=June 15, 2006}}
* {{Source | author= | url=http://www.kfor.com/Global/story.asp?S=5035523&nav=menu99_2_6 | title=US reveals real name of new terror chief | pub=Associated Press | date=June 15, 2006}}
* {{Source | author= | url=http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-06-15T124232Z_01_IBO545413_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-QAEDA-NAME.xml&archived=False | title=US military says al Qaeda new leader is al-Masri | pub=Reuters | date=June 15, 2006}}
* {{Source | author= | url=http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun2006/20060616_5431.html | title=Masri Now Leads Iraq Al Qaeda, Coalition Officials Say | pub=American Forces Press Service | date=June 16, 2006}}

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The U.S. identified the new Al-Qaeda leader in Iraq as Abu Ayyub al-Masri, an Egyptian with ties to Ayman al-Zawahiri. Zawahiri was the number two in command of Al-Qaeda.

"We think that Abu Ayyub al-Masri is in fact, probably, Abu Hamza al-Muhajir. They are probably one and the same" said Major General William Caldwell, spokesman for the U.S. military in Iraq.

Abu Ayyub al-Masri is thought to specialise in bomb making.

The announcement came eight days after Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who had been identified by al-Qaeda as its leader in Iraq, had been "terminated" in a U.S. airstrike near Baqubah.