Army officer : Iraq 'Qaeda leader' killed

An alleged Al-Qaeda leader accused of planning an attack on an Iraqi army base that left 15 soldiers dead was killed in clashes with soldiers on Wednesday, a high-ranking army officer said. "An Al-Qaeda leader called Wissam Karim al-Shilal was killed today during clashes with the army near Al-Adheem," north of Baghdad, Iraqi army Staff Brigadier General Hamid Mohammed Qamr told AFP. "He was accused of being the planner and executor of the attack that killed 15 Iraqi soldiers," Qamr said. He was referring to a July 23 attack on a military base near the town of Dhuluiyah that security officials said killed at least 15 soldiers and wounded two others. Attacks that day, which killed at least 113 people and wounded 259, were later claimed by Al-Qaeda's front group the Islamic State of Iraq.