BAGHDAD, June 30: The US military said on Saturday that its forces had killed an Egyptian man believed to be a senior member of al Qaeda in Iraq on Friday. The military said in a statement that intelligence reports indicated that Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Masri worked directly for fellow Egyptian Abu Ayyub al-Masri, leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq.

The US military said Abu Abd al-Rahman was killed between Baghdad and Falluja, west of the capital.

It said he was “responsible for participating in terrorist courts and issuing fatwas” and had fought US forces in both major battles for Falluja in 2004.

Iraqi and US officials often announce the capture or killing of senior Al Qaeda figures in Iraq, but the militant group has remained a powerful force in Sunni areas.

Military officials say foreign militants, mainly from Arab countries, are the brains behind Al Qaeda in Iraq and are to blame for many of the most devastating suicide attacks.—Reuters