US: Deaths of 2 al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders big blow
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US and Iraqi forces killed the two top al-Qaeda figures in the country in a nighttime rocket attack on a safe house near Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, a joint operation the US called a significant blow to the insurgency and a sign Iraqi security forces are strengthening.
In Washington, Vice President Joe Biden called the killing of the two a "potentially devastating blow" to al-Qaida in Iraq. US forces commander Gen. Raymond Odierno praised the operation.
"The death of these terrorists is potentially the most significant blow to al-Qaida in Iraq since the beginning of the insurgency," he said. "There is still work to do but this is a significant step forward in ridding Iraq of terrorists." (AP)
