Iraqi officials have received reports that the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq was killed in fighting with Sunni tribesman.
However, chief government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Tuesday that the death of Abu Ayyub al-Masri was still unconfirmed.
Al-Dabbagh told the Al-Arabiya news channel that the death reports were based on "intelligence information," adding that "DNA tests should be done and we have to bring someone to identify the body."
He refused to confirm if Iraqi security forces have the body -- citing security concerns.
Meanwhile, an umbrella group of Iraqi insurgents issued a statement on the Internet saying al-Masri was alive and safe.
"The Islamic State of Iraq reassures the Ummah (nation) that Sheik Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, God protect him, is alive and he is still fighting the enemy of God,'' the statement said.
Similar reports have emerged in the past but have later been deemed inaccurate.
U.S. officials also said they could not confirm the report.
"Obviously I hope it's true,'' U.S. spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Garver said Tuesday, pointing out that previous Iraqi claims had proven false. "We want to be very careful before we confirm or deny anything like that."
A Pentagon spokesman, Col. Gary Keck, said he was aware of the reports from Iraq but had no confirmation.
"U.S. forces are working with Iraqi officials to determine if this is true,'' he said.
Details of how the purported death occurred are scarce.
The Associated Press reports that Sunni tribesmen in the western Anbar province have been fighting al Qaeda for weeks, claiming to have killed dozens of them.
Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh told AP that al-Masri was believed to have been killed Monday in the Taji area north of Baghdad.
"Preliminary reports said he was killed yesterday in Taji area in a battle involving a couple of insurgent groups, possibly some tribal people who have problems with al Qaeda. These reports have to be confirmed," said Saleh.
Al-Masri is an Egyptian militant also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajer.
He took over leadership of the terror network in Iraq, with the blessing of Osama bin Laden, after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi died last June in a U.S. attack.
With files from The Associated Press
