US forces kill man behind January Kerbala attack

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Reuters) US forces have killed the man behind a well planned guerrilla assault in Iraq in January in which five US soldiers were killed, a US military spokesman in Iraq said today.

Maj Gen William Caldwell told CNN Azhar al-Dulaimi had masterminded the attack in which guerrillas posing as Americans entered a government compound in the Shi'ite holy city of Kerbala, killed a US soldier and drove away with four others whom they shot and killed later.

''We found him finally Friday morning. We went in on a precision operation to capture him and in the pursuing engagement that occurred, he was killed,'' Caldwell said. He did not say where Dulaimi was killed.

Caldwell said US forces were pressing on with their search for three soldiers missing since a May 12 ambush south of Baghdad.

''We have every reason to believe at this point still that they probably are alive. There is nothing to indicate otherwise, so we are going to continue what we are doing,'' he said.

Reuters SR DB2227