A man accused of being behind a series of al-Qaeda attacks in Iraq has been killed, the US military says.

Mahir al-Zubaydi, also known as Abu Assad or Abu Rami, was accused of heading the group behind bombings which killed at least 16 people in Baghdad this week alone.

US officials described him as the al-Qaeda military commander for the whole of Baghdad east of the Tigris river.

They say he played a key role in planning some of the worst atrocities in Iraq over the past few years.

Zubaydi also took part in the videotaped killing of four Russian diplomats in June 2006, they say.

US troops targeted Zubaydi on Friday after receiving intelligence following bombings in Baghdad against Shia Muslim mosques.

Troops tracked him down to a house in the Adhamiya district of Baghdad, a strongly Sunni Muslim area, surrounded the building and used loud speakers to order the suspect to surrender, according to a report from a BBC correspondent.

The Americans say he responded by shooting at them, so they shot him, our correspondent says.

A woman reported to be his wife was also killed.


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