Key Iraq al-Qaeda leader 'killed'

The US military says al-Qaeda in Iraq's second-in-command has been killed during an operation in the northern city of Mosul.

The military has identified the militant leader as a Moroccan known as Abu Qaswarah or Abu Sara.

A statement said he became the senior commander in northern Iraq in June 2007 and had ties to senior al-Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The overall head is Abu Ayyub al-Masri, also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir.

The statement said Abu Qaswarah was killed in a raid on 5 October.

US forces have mounted many attacks this year against suspected al-Qaeda members in Mosul, which they describe as one of the group's last strongholds in Iraq.

Abu Qaswarah's death, if confirmed, came two days after US troops say they killed another senior military commander of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Mahir al-Zubaydi, also known as Abu Assad or Abu Rami.

Mahir al-Zubaydi was said to have played a key role in planning some of the worst atrocities in Iraq over the past few years.