In Iraq, the announcement of the killing of two top leaders of al Qaeda – Abu Ayub al Masri, the Egyptian leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, and Abu Omar al Qureshyi al Baghdadi, the leader of the group’s self proclaimed Islamic State in Iraq – was greeted by many al Qaeda watchers with doubt. Bruce Riedel explains the basis of this skepticism, outlining the strength and history of the terrorist network’s hold in Iraq.