THE AP ACTS AS A PR OUTLET FOR THE DOD

Yup, we've supposedly killed ANOTHER #2 in Al Qaeda in Iraq and that's a sign of progress for the neo-cons and the war whores. Here's the report:

US military: No. 2 al-Qaida in Iraq leader killed
Oct 15 03:13 PM US/Eastern
By ROBERT H. REID
Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD (AP) - American soldiers killed the alleged No. 2 leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, a Moroccan who trained in Afghanistan, recruited foreign fighters and ran operations in northern Iraq where Sunni insurgents remain a potent threat, the U.S. military said Wednesday.

The death of such a senior al-Qaida leader will cause a major disruption to the terror network, particularly in northern Iraq, where the movement remains active, the military said.

"It's going to be much more difficult for the factions left in that area to network and operate among themselves," U.S. spokesman Brig. Gen. David Perkins said. "It allows the Iraqi security forces with the support of the coalition to go in and continue to tear apart that network."

During a news conference, Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll, another U.S. spokesman, said Abu Qaswarah supervised the smuggling of foreign fighters into northern Iraq and reportedly killed those who tried to return home rather than carry out suicide bombings and other attacks against Iraqis.

"His death will significantly degrade AQI operations in Mosul and northern Iraq, leaving the network without a leader to oversee and coordinate its operations in the region," the U.S. statement said.

I give AP a little credit for noting this -

Senior American military officers have said al-Qaida in Iraq has proven more resilient than other insurgent groups because of its ability to successfully replace its leaders who are killed or captured.

but Think Progress gets a LOT of credit for this -

For At Least The Third Time, Officials Take Down A ‘No. 2′ Leader Of Al Qaeda In Iraq
...this is at least the third time that U.S. officials have announced the capture/killing of a “No. 2″ leader of al Qaeda in Iraq in the past few years. On each occasion — including when they killed the No. 1 leader — they similarly hailed it as a major victory:

Sept. 2005: U.S. and Iraqi officials announce that they killed al Qaeda in Iraq’s No. 2 leader — Abdallah Najim Abdallah Mohammed al-Juwari, known as Abu Azzam. A spokesman for Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said that Azzam’s death was a “painful blow” to al Qaeda.

June 2006: U.S. and Iraqi officials announce that they have killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the No. 1 leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. President Bush called his death a “severe blow” to the terrorist group.

Sept. 2006: Iraqi authorities capture Hamed Jumaa Farid al-Saeedi, known as Abu Humam or Abu Rana, al Qaeda in Iraq’s No. 2 leader. Iraqi national security adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie said that the arrest left the terrorist organization suffering a “serious leadership crisis.” “Our troops have dealt fatal and painful blows to this organization,” he added.