Iraq reports death of al-Qaida leader

BAGHDAD, April 20 (UPI) -- The leader of an al-Qaida terrorist group operating north of Baghdad was killed by U.S. forces, an Iraqi military commander said Tuesday.

Ahmad al-Obaidi, also known as Abu Suhaib, was killed in an operation separate from the deaths of two other al-Qaida leaders -- Abu Ayyub al-Masri and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi -- killed in an operation in northern Iraq, the Kuwaiti news agency KUNA reported.

The military official said Obaidi was responsible for al-Qaida operations in the Ninawa, Kirkuk and Salahiddeen regions.