The American and Iraqi forces captured a senior leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, who is believed to be the head of the Islamic State of Iraq, in north of Baghdad, a provincial police source said on Monday.

"A joint U.S. and Iraqi forces arrested Muharib Abdullah, who is believed to be Abu Umer al-Baghdadi, the head of the Islamic State of Iraq, was captured in the Dhuluiyah town, 90 km north of Baghdad," the source from Salaudin province told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The Iraqi state-run television confirmed the incident, quoting the Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman, Brigadier Abdul Karim Khalaf, as saying that Muharib Abdullah Latif al-Jubouri was captured by the Iraqi security forces in the town of Dhuluiyah.

The Islamic State of Iraq is an umbrella insurgency group including the Mujahideen Shura Council led by al-Qaida in Iraq. It was established on Oct. 15, 2006 to include Sunni provinces in north and west of Baghdad, including the capital.

Source: Xinhua