Al Qaeda In Iraq Linked Commander Captured In Kirkuk

This is HUGE news - it's a very brief report from some unknown-to-me news source but it appears legit and is a huge catch for Iraqi security forces (there is no mention of American troops or special ops so we'll assume local Iraqi security forces acted alone). From the article:

"One of the most wanted persons surrendered to security forces in Haweija, south-west Kirkuk," a Kirkuk police source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq-Voices of Iraq – (VOI).The source identified him as Salah Hassan, a senior member in Ansar al-Sunna, one of the armed groups working under the mantra of the self-named Iraq's Islamic state.

That's the guy...Salah Hassan and he is supposedly more than just a senior member - he is one of the top commanders up in northern Iraq. Now, Ansar al-Sunna is a Sunni insurgent group in Iraq but is closely linked to al Qaeda in Iraq so in essence, this is a huge blow to al Qaeda in Iraq. Like I've said before, if we keep picking off these leaders at the rate we have over the past six months, you will see al Qaeda fighters fleeing Iraq or wandering aimlessly.

The fact that this was an Iraqi security force capture leads me to believe this came from a civilian tip and the Iraqi locals had to act quickly to get this done - the article makes no mention of American force involvement.

Here's the full story.

Senior armed group commander surrenders to police in Kirkuk

Kirkuk, Mar 31, (VOI) - A senior fighter of an armed group surrendered on Monday to security force in Kirkuk, a police source said."One of the most wanted persons surrendered to security forces in Haweija, south-west Kirkuk," a Kirkuk police source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq-Voices of Iraq – (VOI).The source identified him as Salah Hassan, a senior member in Ansar al-Sunna, one of the armed groups working under the mantra of the self-named Iraq's Islamic state.Kirkuk, the capital city of Kirkuk province, lies 250 km north Baghdad.