Zarqawi killed in Iraq
Terrorist leader dies in air strike, but experts warn his death may not reduce violence in Iraq.
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the much-hunted leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, has been killed during a US air strike in Hibhib, a small village about 40 miles north of Baghdad.
CNN reports that coalition forces were able to identify his body through
known scars and using fingerprint identification. US Gen. George W. Casey, speaking at a press conference announcing Mr. Zarqawi's death, said information that led to the airstrike came from people close to the terrorist leader. General Casey also said Zarqawi's death is unlikely to stem the violence in Iraq.
"Al-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 stabilize Iraq. He is known to be responsible for the deaths of thousands of Iraqis. Al-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 organization still poses a threat as its members will continue to try to terrorize the Iraqi people and destabilize their government as it moves toward stability and prosperity."
In a statement Thursday morning, President George W. Bush said the death of Zarqawi is a "
severe blow" to Al Qaeda, and that "the ideology of terror has lost one of its most visible and aggressive leaders,"
The Associated Press reports. However, Mr. Bush echoed General Casey's caution that the terrorist threat in Iraq persists.
"Zarqawi is dead, but the difficult and necessary mission in Iraq continues," Bush said. "We can expect the terrorists and insurgents to carry on without him. We can expect the sectarian violence to continue."
The
Guardian reports that British Prime Minister Tony Blair also hailed the death of the Al Qaeda in Iraq leader, saying that "A blow for Al Qaeda in Iraq is a blow for Al Qaeda everywhere." But Iraq expert Dr Alan George of Oxford University also said the killing would have "
little impact on the level of violence and bloodshed in Iraq."
"I think the insurgency in Iraq, which is multifaceted, has reached such a momentum that in my view killing one leader is not going to make much difference." Killing Zarqawi would not improve the situation in Iraq any more than killing Osama bin Laden would, he said.
"These people, although iconic, are essentially symbolic of a current of political thought that's not going to go away just because they have."
BBC world affairs correspondent Paul Reynolds agreed with comments that Zarqawi's death was
unlikely to reduce violence, and that his death does not mean "either the Islamist Al Qaeda elements or nationalist fighters will give up." In fact, Mr. Reynolds wrote, his death may result in "an explosion of revenge by his followers."
ABC News reports that the US air strike came after
a three-day operation, and US forces had been following him for two hours as he was being driven to the safe house. They then dropped two 500-pound bombs on the house once he was inside. ABC News also reports Zarqawi was badly injured when he was found by US troops. He then died from his injuries, and his body was handed over to Iraqi police. Seven people other were killed in the attack, including two women.
Agence France Presse reports that a senior Jordanian official in Amman said that
the operation that lead to Zarqawi's death was an effort "involving the Jordanian intelligence, the US intelligence and American special operations forces."
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.
The
Los Angeles Times reports that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki offered a slightly different scenario, saying that the information that lead to the air strike came from
residents in the area where Zarqawi was staying.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the announcement drew
loud applause from the reporters present for the announcement. The US ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, said that "the death of Abu Musab Zarqawi is a huge success for Iraq and the international war on terror."
The
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports that US forces have come
close to capturing Zarqawi in the past.
He was apparently caught in late 2004 by Iraqi security forces near Fallujah but released when they did not realize who he was. In a Feb. 20, 2005 raid, US forces say they nearly captured al-Zarqawi when they identified his vehicle west of Baghdad near the Euphrates River. He escaped but his driver and another associate were captured. Al-Zarqawi's computer was seized. In May 2005, al-Zarqawi was reportedly wounded in fighting with Americans.
Bloomberg News reports that oil fell
below $70 a barrel on news of the terrorist leader's death. And
The Washington Post reports that after a three week stalemate, Iraq's parliament
approved new ministers of defense, interior, and national security.
Also...
•
'It was the horror of war' defense to be used by US marines in Haditha deaths (Sky News)
•
US curbs Iraqi civilian deaths in checkpoint, convoy incidents (Wall Street Journal)
•
Top US marine 'gravely concerned' about reported Haditha killings (Voice of America)
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Tom Regan
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