4 000 foreign fighters killed
2006-09-28 17:00
Cairo - The new leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq said in an audiotape posted on the internet on Thursday that more than 4 000 foreign insurgent fighters had been killed in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003.
"The blood has been spilled in Iraq of more than 4 000 foreigners who came to fight," said the man, who identified himself as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir - also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri - the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq.
The Arabic word he used indicated he was speaking about foreigners who joined the insurgency in Iraq, not coalition troops.
It was believed to be the first major statement from insurgents in Iraq about their losses.
Al-Masri is believed to have succeeded Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who died in a US airtrike north of Baghdad in June.
- AP