"What happened ... is the result of collaboration from people who facilitated the operation conducted by Iraqi police and multinational forces," Maliki told reporters.

"This is a message to those who choose the path of violence to change their direction before it is too late. I thank our forces, our police and the multinational forces for what they are doing in pursuing the terrorists."

General George W. Casey Jr, head of US-led forces in Iraq, told the press conference that Zarqawi and one of his key lieutenants, spiritual advisor Sheikh Abdel Rahman were killed at 6:15 pm (1415 GMT) Wednesday in an air strike on an isolated safe house.

"Tips and intelligence from Iraqi senior leaders from his network led forces to al-Zarqawi and some of his associates, who were conducting a meeting approximately eight kilometres (five miles) north of Baquba, when the air strike was launched," according to Agence France Presse.

Baquba is located about 60 kilometres (36 miles) north of the capital.

 "Iraqi police were first on the scene after the air strike, and elements of Multinational Division North, arrived shortly thereafter.  Coalition Forces were able to identify al-Zarqawi by fingerprint verification, facial recognition and known scars."

Casey said Zarqawi and Al-Qaeda in Iraq "have conducted terrorist activities against the Iraqi people for years in attempts to undermine the Iraqi national government and coalition efforts to rebuild and stabilise Iraq.

He said Zarqawi's death "is a significant blow to Al-Qaeda and another step toward defeating terrorism in Iraq.

"Although the designated leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq is now dead, the terrorist organisation still poses a threat as its members will continue to try to terrorize the Iraqi people and destabilise their government as it moves toward stability and prosperity.

"Iraqi forces, supported by the coalition, will continue to hunt terrorists that threaten the Iraqi people until terrorism is eradicated in Iraq."

In Amman, a senior Jordanian official said "Zarqawi was killed in Baquba ... in a joint operation involving the Jordanian intelligence, the US intelligence and American special operations forces."

"It was a land operation with air cover," he added.

According to the official, Jordanian-born Zarqawi was "presiding over a meeting of his terrorist group" at the time of the operation.

"He died ten minutes after the operation, along with eight to 10 of his partisans," the official added.

He was identified by the agents that carried out the raid who compared recent pictures of Zarqawi with the body," the official said.

Agence France Presse