Killed another aide, one less threat in the world. Bet you won't hear Kerry talking about this in his speeches today.

ABC/AP

The U.S. military said Tuesday that an aide to Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in an airstrike in the militant stronghold of Fallujah.

The 3 a.m. strike hit a known safehouse being used by al-Zarqawi's terrorist network, killing a "known associate," a military statement said.

U.S. officials believe al-Zarqawi's group, formerly known as Tawhid and Jihad, is headquartered in Fallujah, located about 40 miles west of Baghdad.

U.S. forces have been hitting the insurgent stronghold for weeks, stepping up aerial and artillery assaults significantly in recent weeks in an attempt to root out the group, which renamed itself Al-Qaida in Iraq.

Hat tip Ace of Spades and Backcountry Conservative