Related: Al-Qaida's chief Zarqawi killed

   LONDON, June 8 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Thursday hailed al-Qaida leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's death as a blow to the terror network.

   "Today's announcement was very good news because a blow toal-Qaida in Iraq is a blow against al-Qaida everywhere," Blairtold cabinet members.

   On Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced that the most wanted insurgent in Iraq Zarqawi had been killed.

   He said that Zarqawi and seven of his top aides were killed in a joint US-Iraqi raid on an area called Hibhib, near Baquba, some 65 km northeast of Baghdad on Wednesday evening.

   Zarqawi, with a 25 million US dollar bounty on his head, is believed to be the top leader of the al-Qaida terror group inIraq. He is accused of being behind some of the most gruesome kidnappings and killings in Iraq. Enditem