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Al-Qaida in Iraq's al-Zarqawi 'terminated'
U.S. air raid north of Baghdad kills most wanted militant in Iraq
 BAGHDAD, Iraq - Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al-Qaida-linked militant who led a bloody campaign of suicide bombings, kidnappings and hostage beheadings in Iraq, has been killed in a U.S. air raid north of Baghdad, Iraqs prime minister said Thursday.
| Zark was also the head cheese of al-Tawhid, which extends far beyond Iraq. |
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said al-Zarqawi was killed along with seven aides Wednesday evening in a house 30 miles northeast of Baghdad in the volatile province of Diyala. Today, al-Zarqawi was terminated, al-Maliki told a news conference, drawing loud applause from reporters as he was flanked by U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and U.S. Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.
| Fox News sez they got him by shadow tracking. Rather than targeting him, they were following his pet holy man, Sheik Abd-Al-Rahman. Zark's OPSEC would be drum-tight having your head cut off would be a good incentive not to blab, I'd guess but not quite so for the holy man. The press will probably try to pooh-pooh the hit by saying we got him by accident. The subject has already been broached at the MNF news conference. |
Al-Maliki said the air strike was the result of intelligence reports provided to Iraqi security forces by residents in the area, and U.S. forces acted on the information. Those who disrupt the course of life, like al-Zarqawi, will have a tragic end, he said.
| Twwo laser-guided 500-pound bombs' worth of tragic end. |
Khalilzad added the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is a huge success for Iraq and the international war on terror.
| Bigger than the public realizes. al-Qaeda in Iraq is the training ground, but al-Tawhid is the international Takfir organization. |
snip
Press Release
MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE - IRAQ
COMBINED PRESS INFORMATION CENTER
BAGHDAD, Iraq
http://www.mnf-iraq.com
703.270.0320 / 0299
June 8, 2006
Release A060608a
Coalition forces kill Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi
 BAGHDAD, Iraq Multi-National Force-Iraq Commanding General, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., announced the death of al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi in the following statement during a press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad June 8: Ladies and Gentlemen, Coalition forces killed al-Qaida terrorist leader Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi and one of his key lieutenants, spiritual advisor Sheik Abd-Al-Rahman, yesterday, June 7, at 6:15 p.m. in an air strike against an identified, isolated safe house.
| Apparently there were computers and papers picked up, too. The MNF briefing said they carried out 17 raids in the immediate wake of the hit, based on the intel. The bodies don't seem to have been vaporized, since they were able to ident the corpses based on appearance as well as fingerprints. DNA confirmation to come. |
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 kilometers north of Baqubah when the air strike was launched.
| Fox News sez Jordan provided the intel that led to the targeting... |
Iraqi police were first on the scene after the air strike, and elements of Multi-National Division - North, arrived shortly thereafter. Coalition forces were able to identify al-Zarqawi by fingerprint verification, facial recognition and known scars.
| The hit took place yesterday, and the announcement was held off to confirm it was him. |
Al-Zarqawi and al-Qaida 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-Qaida and another step toward defeating terrorism in Iraq.
| Zark's been reported dead at least three times before, which goes to confirm my contention that we only have to be successful once. I doubt he'll be reported dead again, though I'd guess the Bad Guyz will report he's alive a few times. There's been a Qaeda announcement that he's titzup, by the way. |
Although the designated leader of al-Qaida 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. Iraqi forces, supported by the Coalition, will continue to hunt terrorists that threaten the Iraqi people until terrorism is eradicated in Iraq .
Posted by: anonymous5089 2006-06-08 |
