Biden: Al Qaeda Deaths in Iraq "Potentially Devastating"
U.S. and Iraqi forces killed two of al Qaeda's top figures in Iraq overnight, in what Vice President Joe Biden called today a "potentially devastating blow" to al Qaeda in Iraq.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki first announced the killings of Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Masri at a news conference in Baghdad, and leaders from both countries have hailed the joint operation.
Biden said that in addition to crippling al Qaeda, this new development "demonstrates the improved... capacity of Iraqi security forces." Iraqi forces led the operation and collected the intelligence to execute it, he said.
"To consolidate these security gains... it's now incumbent upon Iraq's political leaders... to form an inclusive and representative government," Biden said.
Iraq's election commission recently announced it will recount ballots cast in Baghdad in the March 7 election, after al-Maliki's State of Law coalition raised accusations of fraud and irregularities.
The vice president said the United States remains committed to its timeline for removing troops from Iraq, which includes ending it combat mission by the end of this summer.
Biden also said his thoughts and prayers went out to the family of the one U.S. soldier killed in the assault, whose name has not yet been publicly released.
