US troops killed an al-Qaida leader behind the bombing of twin minarets at Iraq's prized Golden Dome shrine in Samarra, the military said Sunday.
Haitham Sabah Shaker Mohammed al-Badri was killed in a US operation Thursday east of Samarra, the US military said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press.
The military said al-Badri was the al-Qaida in Iraq emir of Salahuddin province, and the mastermind responsible for the bombing of the Askariya mosque's minarets on June 13.
"Al-Badri was positively identified by close associates and family members," the statement said.
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