"There were clashes within the groups of al-Qaeda. He was liquidated by them."

Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, is -- it's reported -- dead.

US officials have long talked of friction between al-Qaeda and other Sunni insurgent groups. The reported killing would suggest there are real tensions for US and Iraqi officials to exploit, our correspondent says....

Even if Masri is dead, it would be premature to expect a sudden drop in violence, our correspondent says. Al-Qaeda in Iraq has become far more decentralised and therefore less dependent on the leadership of any one individual.

But if it's "decentralised" in a way that has them killing each other, that's a good thing.