American soldiers killed the alleged No. 2 leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, a Moroccan who trained in Afghanistan, recruited foreign fighters and ran operations in northern Iraq where Sunni insurgents remain a potent threat, the U.S. military said Wednesday.

Real estate broker Hadi Abbas Ali has greeted clients at his Baghdad office for 25 years. Now he is witnessing a boom of sorts in the Iraqi capital, where real estate prices have doubled in some areas.

More than 10,000 people have signed an online petition urging the Army to let an Iraqi puppy come home with a U.S. soldier, who fears that "Ratchet" could be killed if left behind.