The American Army announced on Wednesday killing of the chief of the so-called "Iraq Army of Al-Qaeda Organization" in an operation in the town of Haditha west of the capital. The army said in a statement that Shehab Hamed, also known as Abu Ali, was killed in a search operation in the town. The slain activist was responsible for attacks in Al-Qaem and Haditha, it said, adding that a child, used by the wanted as a shield, was shot dead in the operation. Two gunmen were killed and another was wounded in the same action.The army reported arrest of a commander of Al-Qaeda, Abdel Ghafour Yahia Abdullah, and his personal driver in Mosul. He confessed that he had joined Al-Qaeda 18 months ago. Elsewhere, Iraqi troops arrested six gunmen in Al-Yusufiah, police said, adding that arms and explosives were found in their possession. In Al-Qaem, south of Al-Hella, a man tossed a hand-grenade on the house of a scholar, Lutfi Rajeh, wounding the cleric.
In the Baghdad district of Al-mansour, five gunmen were killd and another was wounded after the government troops burst into a house from where shots were fired in the direction of a police patrol. The authorities located up to 24 dead bodies over the past hours in various locations in the country.