BAGHDAD - A suspected senior al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) leader was killed and six suspected associates were arrested, March 19, during a series of operations in Mosul, military officials report.

Acting upon a warrant issued by an Iraqi judge, Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors stopped a vehicle and searched several buildings for Khalid Muhammad Hasan Shallub al-Juburi, also known as Shaykh Khalid, who is a suspected leader for the terrorist group in northern Iraq.

He is believed to have played an integral role in approving AQI operations, including attacks against the Iraqi people before and during the recent parliamentary elections, officials said.

Iraqi Soldiers and U.S. advisors stopped a vehicle on a public road, based on credible intelligence tips that Khalid was a passenger, officials said. When the security team ordered the two occupants to come out of the vehicle, the passenger brandished a pistol and fired a shot that struck a security-team member.

The security team returned fire, killing the passenger and wounding the driver in the leg. The wounded security-team member and driver were taken to a local medical facility for treatment of minor injuries. The passenger later was identified as Shaykh Khalid.

After the vehicle stop, four combined security teams composed of Iraqi Soldiers and U.S. advisors searched several buildings in eastern Mosul associated with Khalid and his terrorist group.

Evidence discovered during the operation included plans detailing upcoming bomb attacks against security forces in Iraq. After conducting preliminary questioning and an initial examination of the evidence found during the operation, Iraqi forces arrested six suspected criminal associates of Khalid.