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Iraq-Jordan
U.S. warns Iraq's neighbors not to treat Zarqawi
2005-06-01
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Wednesday warned Iraq's neighbors not to provide medical care to al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who the Pentagon believes has been wounded. "The current assumption is that he's in Iraq. Were a neighboring country to take him in and provide medical assistance or haven for him, they, obviously, would be associating themselves with a major linkage in the al Qaeda network and a person who has a great deal of blood on his hands," Rumsfeld told a Pentagon briefing.
"They would be 'un-helpful"

Rumsfeld was not specific about the possible consequences for a country that provided medical care for the Jordanian-born extremist, who has been accused of masterminding a spree of suicide bombings, ambushes and assassinations in Iraq.
But we can guess it wouldn't be pretty. Unless you enjoy that sort of thing, like we do here.
Iraq borders Syria, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
My money is on Syria, with Saudi a close second. Iran is too far away and Jordan has a noose with his name on it.
Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that "our assessment is that he has been wounded" but said he did not know how severely. "The best guess is that he was injured out in western Iraq near the Syrian border. And we believe it, because the postings on the Web site, on their Web pages, seem to be consistent with other things we've seen that were true," Myers told the briefing.
A U.S. intelligence official said on Tuesday that an audio recording that surfaced on Monday in which Zarqawi denied he was seriously wounded was authentic. The tape followed Internet postings by the al Qaeda Organization for Holy War in Iraq saying Zarqawi had been wounded but was in good health and back leading operations in Iraq.
The Sunday Times of London reported that Zarqawi had shrapnel lodged in his chest and may have been moved to Iran. The newspaper said he was wounded three weeks ago when a U.S. missile hit his convoy near the western Iraqi town of Qaim near the Syrian border, and that his supporters might try to move him to another country for an operation.
The U.S. military in recent weeks has conducted several operations in western Iraq against the insurgency, a mix of indigenous Sunni Muslim Arabs and foreign radical Islamic fighters like Zarqawi.
Posted by:Steve

#11  RWV: What? Y'mean those pilots lied to me? Why I'm shocked!

And to think of all the drinks I bought...
Posted by: mojo   2005-06-01 23:57  

#10  If all the "insurgency" is being funded, organized and trained in Syria, then I;m not so sure that Syria is another "front." To bad that Iran is contiguous as well.
Posted by: Super Hose   2005-06-01 21:51  

#9  Mojo, although the BUFF was originally designed for high altitude penetration (used to have a panel that said FACE PLATE DEFOG, SPACE PROVISIONS FOR), 60,000 feet is a little much. Used to start to seriously struggle at about 45K.
Posted by: RWV   2005-06-01 18:31  

#8  I didn't know Greyhound had a JDAM option!
Posted by: Emily Litella   2005-06-01 17:56  

#7  LOL! 15 Vista Cruisers would make a hell of an impression.
Posted by: Shipman   2005-06-01 17:20  

#6  Car bombs.

Seriously. Load up a BUFF with old fiats or something and drop them on hospitals in the offending country...

No need for explosives. A couple of tons dropped from 60Kft has a hell of a lot of kinetic energy.
Posted by: mojo   2005-06-01 16:58  

#5  What would our reaction be if al quada theatened some country about providing medical assistance to US troops.

We are bound by treaty obligations that al Qaeda does not acknowledge. That said, governments must be held accountable - or, if they are unable (as opposed to unwilling) to prevent his care, then we have a legal right to step in. Rumsfeld is very carefully walking within the international agreements we've signed.
Posted by: too true   2005-06-01 16:43  

#4  Me, personally, nothing would make my day a brighter place than to hear that senior Zarqawi is pushing up daisies, but I honestly think this warning/request/threat/whatever crosses a line that we really do not want to cross if for no other reason than what if it were one our our guys that needed medical treatment. What would our reaction be if al quada theatened some country about providing medical assistance to US troops.

I really do not feel that I want to be in the same barrel as those animals.

Heck, if he gets well we can shoot him again.

Twice the pleasure so to speak.

Just me
Posted by: Michael   2005-06-01 16:07  

#3  YS it was posted earlier - The Hague Convention of 1907 states "a neutral country has the obligation not to allow its territory to be used by a belligerent. If the neutral country is unwilling or unable to prevent this, the other belligerent has the right to take appropriate action." Remember the Graf Spee?
So both the US and the Iraqi governments could act in 'hot pursuit' of Zarqawi into the neighboring country.
Posted by: Throluth Clush3562   2005-06-01 15:39  

#2  I'm thinking that if he went to Syria he'd be well away from there by now; with genuine-looking documents saying that he was a subcontractor for some American firm that's generously paying for his medical care.
Posted by: James   2005-06-01 14:56  

#1  I'm feeling slighted today so this "warning" strikes me as an empty threat. Really, what would we do if we found out? I doubt seriously we would open another front over this.

Any ideas out there?
Posted by: Yosemite Sam   2005-06-01 14:35  

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