Iraqi police commandos claim they have captured the leader of al Qaida in Iraq in a Mosul raid that would mark a significant blow to the Sunni insurgency in its last urban stronghold.

However, the US military today said there were "no operational reports" to confirm the capture of Abu Ayyub al-Masri, also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, adding that the capture of another insurgent might have caused confusion.

There have been false alarms in the past about Al-Masri when reports wrongly claimed he was dead.