Al-Qaeda Leader Killed in Mosul

(Baghdad, Iraq) Confirmed by the Iraqi Defense Minister, General Mohammed al-Askari, al-Qaeda's number two man in Iraq, Abu Qaswarah, was killed earlier this month by U.S. forces. Qaswarah commanded all al-Qaeda forces in northern Iraq.

Abu Qaswarah (aka Abu Sara, Abu Qaswara), a Swedish citizen of Moroccan origin, died October 5 when he detonated an explosive vest after being shot by U.S. forces in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

According to Sweden's security police, Säpo, the man died in a fire fight with American forces when they tried to capture him.

“We’ve known about the man since the 1990s. He’s suspected of having led an Islamist network which has supported terrorism in Afghanistan, Iraq, and North Africa,” said Säpo spokesperson Tina Israelsson.

Abu Qaswarah has also been linked to a mosque in a Stockholm suburb which Swedish security has been watching.