DUBAI, June 23: Iraq’s most wanted man Abu Musab al Zarqawi said in a purported statement on Thursday that a top Al Qaeda militant on Saudi Arabia’s most-wanted list had been killed in a US air strike on the Iraq-Syria border.

“Let the Islamic nation rejoice with the martyrdom of Abdullah al Rashud,” said the statement from Al Qaeda’s Iraq chief posted on a website.

The statement, whose authenticity could not be verified, said Abdullah Rashud was killed in action during battles in Al Qaim, a restive city near the border with Syria where US forces have been fighting guerillas. No date was given for his death.

“The mujahideen killed Crusaders (US soldiers) who were forced to flee” the battle zone in Al Qaim, Zarqawi said in a detailed account of the fighting.

“And when the Crusaders failed to re-enter the zone, they resorted to strike Mujahideen positions with warplanes, and our sheikh met his wish (death).”

Abdullah Rashud, 37, was one of the last three Saudis at large out of a list of 26 senior Al Qaeda militants wanted by Riyadh for a wave of deadly attacks in the country.

The Zarqawi statement said Mr Rashud had gone to Iraq about six weeks ago.

“He waged battles and was killed... He came from the Arab peninsula... for the jihad ... in the land of the two rivers (Iraq) where he died on this land,” it said.—AFP