Baghdad ? A suspected terrorist killed by American troops in a raid earlier this month has been identified as al-Qaida in Iraq’s No. 2 leader, the U.S. military said Wednesday.

Abu Qaswarah, also known as Abu Sara, died Oct. 5 in the northern city of Mosul during a firefight between suspected al-Qaida members and American soldiers raiding a building where they believed Qaswarah was hiding.

Qaswarah, a native of Morocco, trained in Afghanistan and rose to become al-Qaida in Iraq’s top northern commander, a U.S. military statement said.

He is believed to have overseen a failed attempt to destroy the Mosul Civic Center last month.