An al-Qaeda front group in Iraq said in a statement posted on the Internet Sunday that its two top figures have been killed. According to the AP, the statement by the Islamic State of Iraq provided the first confirmation of the April 19 claim by the Iraqi and U.S. governments that the two men died in a joint operation while hiding at a safe house near the city of Tikrit, north of Baghdad.
Sunday's statement said the death of al-Baghdadi and al-Masri would not affect the group's operations in Iraq after new members have joined the group recently. It also poured lavish praise on the two men. "After a long journey filled with sacrifices and fighting falsehood and its representatives, two knights have dismounted to join the group of martyrs," the statement said. "We announce that the Muslim nation has lost two of the leaders of jihad, and two of its men, who are only known as heroes on the path of jihad."
