BAGHDAD, May 26: The Iraqi government on Thursday confirmed Al Qaeda frontman Abu Musab al Zarqawi has been wounded amid conflicting reports over whether a replacement commander has been named for the country’s most wanted man.

In a bid to stem a spate of deadly car bombings, many of them claimed by Zarqawi’s men, Defence Minister Saadun al-Dulaimi meanwhile announced the deployment of tens of thousands of security personnel in a security lockdown on the capital.

“We received information five days ago saying that Zarqawi had been wounded but we don’t know the seriousness of his injuries,” Interior Minister Bayan Baqer Solagh said during a joint press conference with Dulaimi.

But confusion reigned over who might replace Iraq’s most feared man after Al-Qaeda’s branch in Iraq denied an earlier statement saying it had named a caretaker commander.

“The information section of Al-Qaeda Organization has its own media outlets known to Muslims, which is the name Abu Maisara al-Iraqi,” the statement, whose authenticity could not be confirmed, said in reference to the name that most often accompanies statements purportedly coming from the group.

“We deny the claim about the appointment of one Abu Hafs or anyone else,” it said.—AFP