Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Third Al-Qaida Leader Killed in Iraq VOA News 20 April 2010 Another al-Qaida leader has been killed in Iraq during a joint U.S.-Iraqi operation - the third such person to be killed in as many days. Iraqi military officials said joint forces used intelligence to track down and kill Ahmed al-Obeidi in northern Iraq Tuesday. They said al-Obeidi - also known as Abu Suhaib - was responsible for planning numerous attacks in Nineveh, Salahuddin and Kirkuk. Iraqi and U.S. officials say the top two leaders of al-Qaida in Iraq were killed in a joint operation Sunday near the northern city of Tikrit. Also Tuesday, Iraqi police said gunmen killed the wife, daughter and three sons of a member of an anti-al-Qaida Sunni group. The killings took place in Tarmiyah, north of Baghdad. The three sons had their throats slit. Police said the man was not home at the time. On Monday, U.S. officials called the killings of the two top al-Qaida leaders a significant development. Vice President Joe Biden said the deaths were a "potentially devastating blow" to al-Qaida in Iraq, and said the success of the raid demonstrates the improved ability of Iraqi security forces. Al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri and top al-Qaida militant Abu Umar al-Baghdadi were killed Sunday during a raid on their hideout. Despite the crackdown on al-Qaida and other insurgents in Iraq, Iraqis working with their own government and the U.S. remain targets. Earlier this month, Iraqi military officials blamed al-Qaida for brutally beating and killing 24 men and women in the village of Bou Saifi near Baghdad. The victims reportedly had ties to the pro-U.S. Awakening movement.  Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. .