Al-Qaida in Iraq chief may be dead: Unconfirmed reports say al-Masri killed by Sunni tribesman

BAGHDAD - Iraqi officials have received reports that the leader ofal-Qaida in Iraq was killed by Sunni tribesmen, but the chiefgovernment spokesman said Tuesday the information has not beenconfirmed.

The statement by spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh followed a welter ofreports from other Iraqi officials that Abu Ayyub al-Masri had beenkilled.

Iraqi officials have released similar reports in the past, only toacknowledge later they were inaccurate.

U.S. officials said they could not confirm the reported death.

Al-Dabbagh told Al-Arabiya that word of al-Masri's purported deathwas based on "intelligence information," adding that "DNA testsshould be done and we have …