Al-Qaida denies US troops captured its top Iraqi

An al-Qaida umbrella group in Iraq today denied that US troops had captured the highest ranking Iraqi in the leadership of al-Qaida in Iraq.

Last week, the US command announced the arrest of Khaled al-Mashhadani, describing him as someone who had served as the link between al-Qaida’s command in Iraq and Osama bin Laden’s inner circle.