BAGHDAD: Al Qaeda in Iraq has killed or wounded more than 4,000 Iraqis in suicide attacks in the past six months, United States military spokesman Brig-Gen Kevin Bergner told reporters on Wednesday.

Brig-Gen Bergner said most of the attacks were carried out by foreign-born ‘terrorists’ and that while their numbers were “relatively small... their effects are very, very devastating on the people of Iraq”. He said that around 60 to 80 foreigners are brought to Iraq every month by the group.

“They are the principal threat in a complex security environment. Al Qaeda is the principal de-stability factor targeting the government of Iraq,” the spokesman said in a weekly briefing.

He said US-led coalition forces continued to target the group’s strongholds across Iraq and that they had “killed or captured 26 high-level leaders during May and June”.—AFP