In an unprecedented military move, U.S. forces killed the top al Qaeda leader, Haitham al-Badri, officials declared on Sunday, August 05, 2007. Haitham al-Badri is said to have been the mastermind behind the devastating bombing of a Shi’ite shrine back in 2006, which resulted in a tremendous siege in sectarian uprising and violence. The violence in Iraq has been long enduring, however it is no secret that the U.S. strategy, is to break up terror cells and stop al Qaeda in its tracks. The war against terror is directly aimed at al Qaeda and those who help support the cause of al Qaeda.

On February 22, 2006, the beautiful golden dome on the al-Askari mosque was destroyed. The attack took place as several bombers, entered the mosque, bound and tied the guards, and then set explosives. It is believed that the bombers disguised themselves as members of the Iraqi Special forces. The mosque was severely damaged in addition to the golden dome being destroyed.

The Al-Askari shrine, located in Samarra is one of the holiest mosques for Shi’ites. The attack triggered numerous uprisings and killings for the sake of revenge, as Shi’ite youth took to the streets in defense of the attack. In fact, the uprising is said to be the cause of the deadliest surge of violence within Iraq since the time of the invasion.

The Al-Askari mosque was first built in 944 and is one of the most sacred structures in Islam. In addition to the February, bombing, just seven weeks ago, on June 13, 2007, the al Qaeda mastermind was said to have staged another attack on the same Shi’ite mosque, al-Askari where its minarets were destroyed.

In fact, UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) is planning on helping to rebuild the Al-Askari shrine. They are known for preserving some of the most culturally valuable structures throughout the world. However, they are waiting for Iraq to come to a place of peace, before they can begin reconstruction. UNESCO states that the Iraqi officials are ready and willing to begin the reconstruction process and they are waiting for security conditions to come to a place when the process may begin. In fact, the director of the UNESCO Iraq office, Mohamed Djelid and Hak Al-Hakeem who is the advisor to Iraq’s Prime Minister for Reconstruction and Environment Affairs, signed the official Memorandum of Understanding.

Removing terrorist cell groups and al Quaeda are imperative to restoring peace and security measures throughout Iraq. The U.S. is very proud and hopeful of this victory, as they believe that they have finally captured and killed the mastermind of this terrorist cell group. U.S. forces state that they spotted Haitham al-Badri and his cohorts as they were preparing an ambush just east of Samarra. This is an amazing step in the fight against terrorism, and it is believed it will be a major step forward in the advancement towards bringing peace to Iraq. The fight against al Qaeda has been a long one, but this is definitely a step ahead.