Al-Qaida Leader Killed In Raid In Iraq
An al-Qaida in Iraq leader blamed in the 2004 abduction and murder of a 20-year-old Army reservist and other deadly attacks was killed in a U.S. raid in Baghdad, the United States military said Thursday.
U.S. forces acting on a tip killed Hajji Hammadi and another armed insurgent during a Nov. 11 raid in Baghdad's Mansour neighborhood, the military said.
The Iraqi was accused in the abduction and killing of Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Matt Maupin, a private first class who was seized when his fuel convoy was attacked by insurgents in Iraq on April 19, 2004, as the insurgency was gaining strength.
Maupin's remains were found in March on the outskirts of Baghdad, about 12 miles from where the convoy was ambushed.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki tried Thursday to beef up support for a pact allowing U.S. troops to stay in Iraq three more years. He said the agreement is Iraq's best option for restoring sovereignty, and its critics are making unrealistic demands.
Iraq and the United States signed the agreement on Monday, but it must first pass in the Iraqi parliament to take effect. A vote is expected next week before lawmakers recess for holiday.
It requires the roughly 150,000 U.S. troops in Iraq to leave by the end of 2011, a timetable Washington accepted only after months of intense negotiations.
NPR.COM