May 3 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. forces killed Muharib Abdullah Latif al-Juburi, a senior al-Qaeda figure the U.S. accuses of running propaganda operations and helping foreign fighters infiltrate Iraq.

Al-Juburi was killed ``resisting arrest'' in an operation west of Taji, a town north of Baghdad early on May 1, U.S. military spokesman Major General William Caldwell said at a televised news conference in Baghdad today.

Earlier today, an Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman told state television Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, leader of Islamic State of Iraq umbrella Sunni Muslim group, had been killed by U.S. and Iraqi forces.

After the operation, U.S. forces brought Al-Juburi's body back to Baghdad. They made a ``positive DNA identification,'' and released it to a member of his tribe to be transported for burial. The tribal member was stopped at an Iraqi checkpoint, and Iraqi security forces thought the body was al-Baghdadi, Caldwell said.

The Iraqi authorities brought the body back to U.S. forces in Baghdad who ``at that point, told them what happened,'' Caldwell said. Al-Baghdadi may not even exist, Caldwell said. ``We are not sure who that is,'' Caldwell said.

The U.S. military hasn't been able to confirm the death of al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri. The Interior Ministry said al-Masri was killed in clashes between rival groups on May 1. Caldwell said the military would be able to identify al-Masri.

Improve Coordination

``It took us a while this morning to sort out what had happened,'' Caldwell said. ``We will have a little better coordination between us and our Iraqi counterparts'' on the next press release, he said.

Al-Juburi was ``involved in the kidnapping of Jill Carroll,'' and ``known to have personal custody of Tom Fox before his death,'' Caldwell said.

Carroll, a journalist with the Christian Science Monitor, was kidnapped in Iraq in January 2006 and released in March that year. Fox was an American Quaker peace activist kidnapped in Baghdad in November 2005. His body was found in March 2006.

In April, U.S. forces killed 87 suspects and detained 465 others in operations against the al-Qaeda network, Caldwell said. Four of five additional U.S. brigades have arrived in Baghdad to bulk up American forces that have been intensifying security efforts in the Iraqi capital since February.

To contact the reporter on this story: Robin Stringer in London at rstringer@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: May 3, 2007 08:49 EDT