Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayub al-Masri, the top al Qaeda operatives in Iraq, have been killed , Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said April 19. Al-Maliki showed pictures of the two bodies, and his announcement has been confirmed by the U.S. military, so even though both men have been falsely reported dead before, there appears to be considerable confidence behind this claim. The two reportedly were killed early April 18 in Salahuddin province by Iraqi intelligence operatives supported by U.S. forces. Al-Baghdadi (also known as Hamid Dawud Muhammad Khalil al-Zawi), an Iraqi, was the head of the al Qaeda-led jihadist alliance in Iraq called the Islamic State of Iraq and went by the title "Leader of the Faithful." Al-Masri (also known as Abu Hamzah al-Muhajir), an Egyptian national, was the military leader of al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).