Leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq Injured in Clash, Official Says

By Ernesto Londono, Washington Post Staff Writer

According to the Iraqi Interior Ministry, the current leader of al-qaeda in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, was injured and one his aides was killed in an incident yesterday. Masri took over for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi after he was killed in 2006 by a U.S. airstrike. The aide was considered a "personal escort" to Masri, but questions were raised concering whether the Iraqis had identified the right person as Masri was rumored not be even in the region. From this incident, it looks like the US/coalition forces are still focusing on eradicating al-Qaeda from Iraq despite the rapid rise of violence not associated to the terrorist group led by Osama Bin Laden. The conflicting reports about Masri's whereabouts in this case also create a question within me. Is this story being embellished or fabricated? Is this just a ploy to intill confidence? It'd be nice to have some real solid evidence in this case.