Al-Qaida leader killed in 'suicide vest'

BAGHDAD, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- The U.S. military in Baghdad says a leader of al-Qaida in Iraq was killed after grabbing a soldier and attempting to detonate a "suicide vest."

Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner, spokesman for the Multinational Force Iraq, told reporters Wednesday operations in Tarmiya, a small town in the northern part of Baghdad Province, "resulted in the death of Ali Latif Ibrahim Hamad al-Falahi, also known as Abu Ibrahim, an al-Qaida in Iraq leader who oversaw terrorist operations in the northern belts of Baghdad. He was killed after he grabbed a coalition soldier and was attempting to detonate a suicide vest."

A suicide vest or belt usually is filled with explosives and a hand detonator.

"He kidnapped and murdered Iraqis, including a 9-year-old girl, to intimidate local citizens," Bergner said, "and his group was also likely responsible for the April 12 bombing of the Sarafiyah bridge here in Baghdad."