The US military Saturday said that the American troops in Iraq killed Bilal Awad Sabah, described as a close associate of extremist leader Abu Musab Zarqawi in western Iraq. Sabah, also known as Abu Ubaydah, was reportedly killed on October 14 when US-led forces raided a number of suspected rebel hideouts in the Albuaide neighborhood north of Ramadi, in western Iraq, according to the US Army's statement.Although intelligence analysts reported that Abu Ubaydah was killed during the mid-October raids, they could not determine his death with certainty at that time, when the hideouts were bombed by US forces. Sabah was said to have served as a messenger and gatekeeper for Zarqawi and to have been one of his most trusted assistants.