WASHINGTON – U.S. and Iraqi forces zapped Al Qaeda’s top two goons in a safehouse, the top American general in Iraq boasted Monday.

Army Gen. Raymond Odierno confirmed that Iraqi Security Forces “supported by U.S. forces” blew away Abu Ayyub al-Masri and Abu Umar al-Baghdadi in an Al Qaeda in Iraq safehouse a few miles southwest of ex-dictator Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit.

“The death of these terrorists is potentially the most significant blow to Al Qaeda in Iraq since the beginning of the insurgency,” said Odierno, who commands all U.S. troops and is President Obama’s point man leading the American drawdown in Iraq.

One American soldier was killed when a helicopter crashed, the U.S. military said.

A military statement described al-Masri, “the Egyptian” also known as Abu Hamzah al-Muhajir, as AQI’s “military commander.” He was the terror group’s top leader and stepped in to reassert control on behalf of Osama Bin Laden after Jordanian thug Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was blown to bits by a U.S. airstrike in 2006.

Bin Laden’s deputy, Egyptian doctor Ayman al-Zawahiri, had criticized the Sunni Muslim Zarqawi’s brutal tactics and his war on Iraq’s Shi’a Muslims.

Al-Masri joined Egyptian Islamic Jihad — which later merged with Al Qaeda — in 1982, and was a protege of its leader, Zawahiri.

Al-Baghdadi, the Iraqi “Prince of the Faithful” whose real name is Hamid Dawud Muhammad Khalil al Zawi, was the face of the insurgency as leader of the “Islamic State of Iraq.” Al-Baghdadi was long thought to be a fictitious figure – but al-Masri was always viewed as the real leader of the insurgency.

Odierno said American special operations forces had conducted a series of raids in the past week with help of intelligence officers and Iraqi troops, which ultimately led to the safehouse where both AQI leaders were hiding.

“There is still work to do but this is a significant step forward in ridding Iraq of terrorists,” Odierno said.

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Lebanese Shia television psychic sentenced to death for “sorcery” in Saudi Arabia was granted a stay of execution on Friday, his lawyer told The BBC.

Until he was arrested in 2008 while on a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, Ali Sabat was the host of a satellite television program in which he promised to give “advice and predictions about the future,” to callers from around the Arab world to his studio in Beirut, as Britain’s Channel 4 News explained in a report on his case on Thursday. (That report, embedded above, includes scenes from Mr. Sabat’s show and of his televised confession which was broadcast in Saudi Arabia.)

The television psychic was popular in Saudi Arabia and was reportedly recognized by members of the country’s religious police — officially known as the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.

According to Amnesty International, Mr. Sabat was sentenced to death in Medina in November, “after secret court hearings where he had no legal representation or assistance.” The human rights group also reported that “on March 10, a court in Medina upheld the death sentence. The judges said that he deserved to be sentenced to death because he had practiced ’sorcery’ publicly for several years before millions of viewers.” The court added that his execution would act as a deterrent to what it called the increasing number of “foreign magicians” coming to Saudi Arabia.

May al-Khansa, a lawyer working for Mr. Sabat in Lebanon, raised an alarm about Mr. Sabat’s possible execution this week when she said on Wednesday that she had been told he would be beheaded “within 48 hours.” On Friday, though, Ms. Khansa told The Associated Press that Lebanon’s justice minister had informed her that Mr. Sabat “would not be executed in Saudi Arabia today — the day executions are typically carried out in the kingdom after noon prayers.”

Since Saudi authorities do not always give notice of executions, and have not responded to requests for comment from foreign media organizations, the apparent delay in Mr. Sabat’s execution has yet to be confirmed.

Ms. Khansa told a BBC radio program that she had been told that he was still alive on Friday, “But after that I don’t have an answer as to if he will be alive or not. Time is passing and if they don’t kill him this Friday maybe next Friday.” In a television interview with the BBC, she appealed to Saudi Arabia’s king to recognize that “Ali Sabat is not a criminal.”

In Beirut, Meris Lutz of The Los Angeles Times wrote that the case might be more about Saudi politics than law.

One Lebanese legal expert who is familiar with Saudi law and politics described the case against Sabat as a “muscle show” by conservatives who may be seeking to embarrass reformist leaders such as King Abdullah.

“I don’t know on what grounds they arrested him, since he didn’t commit [the crime] in Saudi, he’s not a Saudi citizen, and it wasn’t directed against Saudi, and usually one of these criteria must be fulfilled,” the expert said, asking that her name not be published because she travels to Saudi Arabia.

Ms. Lutz added that the legal expert suggested that Mr. Sabat might have been given the harshest possible sentence because he is a Shiite Muslim.

The second anniversary celebration of Udyavar Muslim Unity (UMU), UAE was held at Foodland Restaurant’s Party Hall here, recently.

UMU general secretary Janab Abdul Khaliq Hyder welcomed the gathering followed by Holy Quran recitation done by unity member Janab Arfan Palli. UMU advisor Janab Ansar Aziz presided. UMU president Janab Khaiser Mohammed Abu, chief treasurer Janab Nayaz Shabuddin T and UMU vice-president Janab Ashraf Sattar was also present.

Janab Ashraf Sattar delivered the welcome speech. UMU treasurer Janab Sameer Sherief Pande read out the annual report and UMU auditor Janab Khalil Khairullah presented the audit report for the past year. Janab Ansar Aziz appraised the achievements and dedication of its members. A lucky dip which had nearly fifteen prizes concluded the super day of entertainment. The gifts were distributed among children on the special occasion by wife of Ansar Aziz.

Janab Asif Khader proposed the vote of thanks. Janab Abdul Khaliq Hyder compered the programme.

According to Ahlul Bayt News Agency (ABNA.ir), Yemeni security officials claimed late on Friday that Houthis had killed a soldier, Namran Suleiman Jaber Hadshan, who was also a bodyguard to a member of parliament, and dumped his body in a well.

In a statement posted on their website on Saturday, the Houthis said the soldier had fallen down a well “at least 20 days earlier” and died as a result of his injuries.

“There was no involvement or link whatsoever on our part to what happened,” the Houthis said in the statement.

Also on Friday, officials said Houthis had a day earlier opened fire on a military plane flying above Saada, one of the most serious breaches of the truce.

The aircraft, which state media said was carrying military and government officials, was not hit. Yemeni media said the Houthis denied involvement in the incident.

The Yemeni government, struggling to stabilise a fractious country where Al-Qaeda is trying to strengthen its influence, agreed a truce in February with the northern Shias to halt fighting that has raged on and off since 2004 and displaced 250,000 people.