Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq

    BAGHDAD, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The new leader of al-Qaida in Iraq Abu Ayyob al-Masri was killed in Iraq, Dubai-based al-Arabiya satellite channel reported on Thursday.

    The channel said that al-Masri was killed in the Haditha in northwest of Baghdad by a U.S. raid, the channel said, adding that the killing took place a few days ago but the Iraqi government preferred to verify the identity of the killed before announcement.

    However, shortly after the release of the killing news by al-Arabiya, the pan-Arabic television channel al-Jazeera said that the U.S. military in Iraq denied killing of al-Masri.

    Al-Masri, an Egyptian who is also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, became the leader of al-Qaida network in Iraq after the U.S. troops killed the former chief of the organization Abu Musam al-Zarqawi in June. Enditem