US military says 51 Qaeda leaders killed or captured

AFP reports,

The US military said on Wednesday that 51 Al-Qaeda leaders were killed or captured by multinational forces in Iraq during December, as efforts to close down the Islamist extremist group intensified. (empahsis added)

Note, this is 51 Al Qaeda leaders not terrorists in general.

Of those captured in December, "eight were regional, city or functional emirs, nine were cell leaders, six were involved in media and propaganda activities and five that were foreigner terrorist facilitators...." He said the others were involved in bomb-making, or were spiritual advisers, financiers, intelligence gatherers or weapons traffickers.

Several of those killed or detained had direct contact with Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri.

This is an incredible number of leaders in one month and shows the dominoe effect happening to Al Qaeda in Iraq at this time.