BAGHDAD , Iraq ( CNN ) -- Coalition troops killed the al Qaeda terrorist who masterminded the February 2006 attack on Samarra 's al-Askariya mosque and set off continuing violence and reprisal killings between Sunnis and Shiites , the U.S. military said Sunday . The attack on Samarra 's al-Askariya mosque set off violence between Sunnis and Shiites . Haitham Sabah al-Badri , the al Qaeda emir of greater Samarra , was killed by an airstrike Thursday east of Samarra , said Rear Adm. Mark Fox during a news conference . `` Eliminating al-Badri is another step in breaking the cycle of violence instigated by the attack on the holy shrine in Samarra , '' Fox said . `` We will continue to hunt down the brutal terrorists who are intent on creating a Taliban-like state in Iraq . '' Coalition forces Thursday raided four buildings outside Samarra that were associated with al-Badri , according to a U.S. military news release . During the raid , at least four armed men were seen leaving the buildings and setting up tactical fighting positions in an effort to ambush coalition forces , the release said . The coalition forces called in close air support , killing al-Badri and the three others , the release said . One of those killed was identified as a foreigner ; al-Badri was identified by his close associates and relatives , the military said . El-Badri 's death was first reported Saturday by a high-ranking Iraqi Interior Ministry official . No one was injured in the attack on the Golden Mosque , one of the holiest Shiite sites , but thousands have been killed by the death squads and reprisal bombings that have ravaged Iraq in the 17½ months since the attack . In addition to the February attack that collapsed the mosque 's dome , another bombing in June destroyed the shrine 's two remaining minarets . Al-Badri is believed to have been involved in other attacks , including two last year , Fox said -- the June 23 bombing of a Kirkuk courthouse that left 20 Iraqis dead and the August 28 attack at a Samarra checkpoint that killed 29 Iraqi soldiers . Samarra is in Salaheddin province , north of Baghdad . Mortar attacks kill 11 . Two mortar rounds struck a gas station in a mainly Shiite neighborhood in eastern Baghdad on Sunday , killing at least 11 people and wounding 15 others , a spokesman with Iraq 's Interior Ministry said . The attack in the Afdhailiya neighborhood happened about 8 a.m. ( 12 a.m . ET ) , the spokesman said . Suicide bombers attacked two gas stations Wednesday , killing 70 people , Reuters reported . Meanwhile , coalition forces said Saturday they killed four suspected militants and detained 18 thought to have helped make or plant roadside bombs , the U.S. military said . The militants were suspected of coordinating logistical support from Iran for elements of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr 's Mehdi Army and other Shiite militias operating in Iraq , the military said . Iraqi family upset with U.S. soldier 's sentence . A U.S. soldier has been sentenced to 110 years in confinement for participating in the rape of a 14-year-old girl and the killings of her and her family in Iraq , an Army spokeswoman said . The girl 's family told Reuters on Sunday they were dismayed by the punishment and would have preferred to see the death penalty handed down in the case . Pfc . Jesse Spielman was convicted Friday of rape , conspiracy to commit rape , housebreaking with the intent to commit rape and four counts of felony murder . The girl , her parents and younger sister were shot dead in March 2006 in Mahmoudiya , south of Baghdad . `` We were expecting the death penalty against those criminals and the place to carry out the sentence is where the incident happened , '' the girl 's cousin , Abu Ammar , told Reuters . Her uncle , Hadi Abdullah , told the wire agency that family members wished there was a way to appeal the sentence so the death penalty could be imposed . Three soldiers have previously pleaded guilty in the case and were given sentences ranging from five to 100 years . The accused ringleader , former Pvt . Steven Green , was discharged from the Army and awaits trial in a civilian court . Other developments . CNN 's Pierre Bairin and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report .
Haitham Ali al - Badri was the al Qaeda emir of greater Samarra . U.S. military says al - Badri suspected in two other attacks that killed 49 . Family of slain girl upset soldier was n't sentenced to death , Reuters says . At least 20 people killed in mortar attacks in Baghdad , Defense Ministry says .