Al Qaeda's second-in-command in Iraq, Abu Azzam is seen in this photo released on Sept. 27, 2005. (Xinhua)

BEIJING, Sep. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- Al Qaeda's second-in-command in Iraq, Abu Azzam, was shot to death by US-led forces in Baghdad on Sunday, the US military confirmed on Tuesday.

    Azzam, a financier and religious aide to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was shot and killed while hiding out in a high-rise apartment building in the capital, the military said.

    "We had a tip from an Iraqi citizen that led us to him," said Lieutenant-Colonel Steve Boylan, a spokesman for the US military in Iraq. "It was a joint US-Iraqi operation. We've been tracking him for a while."

    Additional details about his death on Monday afternoon were not immediately available.

    Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari was expected to reveal more details at a news conference scheduled for 1100 GMT in Baghdad, Reuters reported.

    US and Iraqi forces have launched a series of raids in recent weeks aimed at disrupting al Qaeda in Iraq, the group headed by wanted terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

    "This shows that we are actively going after the network. We've taken down the number two in the network and that is going to have an impact," he said. "And whoever replaces him as number two, we will go after him as well." Enditem

    (Agencies)