Pat Dollard | Young Americans

Aug. 4 — The Al Qaeda terrorist responsible for masterminding the bombing of Al Askari mosque in Samarra earlier this summer has been killed in an air raid, the American military announced Saturday.

Haythem Sabah al-Badri, who was the leader of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia in Salahuddin Province, was killed in a strike northeast of Samarra, the northern city where two minarets at the Shiite mosque were demolished in the blast, on June 13.

A bomb attack in February 2006 destroyed the shrine’s famous golden dome, and set off a wave of reprisal attacks and killings that left tens of thousands dead across Iraq.

The Iraqi government has blamed Mr. Badri for both bombings, although the American military said it was only confirming his involvement in this year’s attack.

Master Sgt. Betty Thompson, an American military spokeswoman, said that he was killed Thursday and that his body “was positively identified by close associates and family members.”

An Iraqi security official in Samarra said that Mr. Badri was killed by a strike on his house in Al Jilam village, six miles from Samarra.

The official said that Mr. Badri’s father was arrested by the Americans and that during the operation followers of Mr. Badri, who are predominantly Arabs, fought with United States troops.

Iraqi officials believe that Mr. Badri left Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia after the formation of the umbrella group, the Islamic State in Iraq, taking about 120 of his fighters to begin operating alone.

The Golden Dome—or, Askariya—shrine in Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, is one of the holiest places for Shiites. Despite heightened security put in place after the February 2006 bombing, suspected al- Qaida militants managed to infiltrate the compound and bring down its two minarets in June.

The first attack unleashed a bloodbath of reprisals—of Shiite death- squad murders of Sunnis, and Sunni bombing attacks on Shiites. At least 34,000 civilians died in last year’s violence, the United Nations reported.

The second bombing, in June, toppled the two minarets—which for many Shiites, were symbols of resilience in the face of a tireless Sunni insurgency—and dealt a bold blow to hopes for reconciliation.

Also Sunday, the U.S. military announced the capture of three more suspected insurgents in raids two days earlier in the Samarra area.

On Friday, Iraqi soldiers backed by U.S. special forces advisers detained three people accused of roadside bombings in the area, the U.S. military said in a statement. One of the men was believed to be the al-Qaida in Iraq emir for the city, it said.

Several weapons and bomb-making materials were also confiscated, it said.