The US military has denied reports claiming it killed Iraqi al-Qaeda leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri.
An Iraqi government source said US forces had killed him in the western Iraqi town of Haditha yesterday.
The source said US forces acted on a tip-off and launched an airstrike and ground assault that killed Masri and three of his aides.
Masri, an Egyptian who is also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, assumed the leadership of al-Qaeda in Iraq after Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in June.
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However, the US military denied reports.