Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al-Qaeda terror leader who led the brutal insurgency against US forces in Iraq, has been killed in an American air raid north of Baghdad.
The death of Iraq's most wanted man was announced this morning by Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi Prime Minister, who said that the Jordanian militant was killed last night along with seven of his aides in a joint operation with Iraqi forces.
"Today Zarqawi has been terminated," Mr al-Maliki told a televised press conference, shaking his fist in jubilation.
"This is a message to those who chose the path of violence to change their direction before it is too late. I thank our forces, our police and the multinational forces for what they are doing in pursuing the terrorists."
Al-Zarqawi, who is believed to have personally beheaded several Western hostages including Ken Bigley, a Liverpool engineer, swore allegiance to Osama bin Laden in 2004 and became leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq. He and his group have claimed responsibility for many of the worst atrocities of the three-year insurgency.
General George Casey, the top US general in Iraq, said that al-Zarqawi was killed in an air raid at around 6.15pm on an isolated safe house near Baquba, an insurgent hotspot 40 miles north of Baghdad, after a tip-off that he was to meet his senior al-Qaeda colleagues.
"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 km north of Baquba, when the air strike was launched," General Casey said.
"Iraqi police were first on the scene after the air strike, and elements of Multinational Division North, arrived shortly thereafter. Coalition forces were able to identify al-Zarqawi by fingerprint verification, facial recognition and known scars."
General Casey said that al-Zarqawi and his terror organisation had conducted terrorist activities against the Iraqi people for years, in attempts to undermine the Iraqi national government and coalition efforts to rebuild and stabilise Iraq.
He warned: "Although the designated leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq is now dead, the terrorist organisation still poses a threat as its members will continue to try to terrorise the Iraqi people and destabilise 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."
It is not yet clear whether the US will have to pay out on the $25 million bounty that was on al-Zarqawi's head.
In the past year, al-Zarqawi had moved his campaign beyond Iraq’s borders, claiming to have ordered a triple suicide bombing in November 2005 that killed 60 people in hotels in Amman, the Jordanian capital, as well as other attacks in Jordan and even a rocket attack from Lebanon into northern Israel.
US forces and their allies came close to capturing al-Zarqawi several times since his campaign began in mid-2003. His closest brush may have come in late 2004, when Major General Hussein Kamal, the deputy interior minister, said that Iraqi security forces caught al-Zarqawi near the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah - but then released him because they didn’t realise who he was.
In May 2005, statements posted on the internet by his group said that al-Zarqawi had been wounded in fighting with Americans and was being treated in a hospital abroad - raising speculation over a successor among his lieutenants. But days later, another statement said al-Zarqawi was fine and had returned to Iraq.
US forces believe they just missed capturing al-Zarqawi in a February 2005 raid in which troops closed in on his vehicle west of Baghdad near the Euphrates River. His driver and another associate were captured and al-Zarqawi’s computer was seized along with pistols and ammunition.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the US ambassador to Iraq, said that al-Zarqawi was the "godfather of sectarian killings and terror in Iraq" and described his death as a "good omen".
Every normal man must be tempted at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. I often wonder if the voices in my head ever get frustrated because I'm just too damn lazy to climb that clock tower.
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I still find it amazing how this guy is such a high level combatant and yet he didn't even know how to lock and load the weapon that he was handling on camera. He actually had to have one of the camera guys show him how to load it and fire it.
SG Pimp Name : *Treacherous P. Shizzle*
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The fight for our way of life needs to be fought on our own soil, for our own people and because of our own interests.
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Every normal man must be tempted at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. I often wonder if the voices in my head ever get frustrated because I'm just too damn lazy to climb that clock tower.
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yeah, they may get 70 virgins, but what they dont tell you is that you dont get a penis when you go.
Every normal man must be tempted at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. I often wonder if the voices in my head ever get frustrated because I'm just too damn lazy to climb that clock tower.
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thepieman wrote:I still find it amazing how this guy is such a high level combatant and yet he didn't even know how to lock and load the weapon that he was handling on camera. He actually had to have one of the camera guys show him how to load it and fire it.
Doesn't surprise me. Here's the real Zarqawi. Geek with issues finds a way to get laid!
[quote="Joint Chiefs of Staff"]I have reliable sources. ]
STFU already! You talk as if you work in that region or something!! Oh, wait................nevermind!
And yeah, wouldn't surprise me at all is he was in Iran!
...and Bush is intentionally prolonging the war so he can get these "'attaboys" once in a while.
Burke, if your theory is right, we should serve up Bin Laden when approval ratings dip just a bit more.
He still has to get gasoline back to $1, stop global warming, cure AIDS, approve gay marriage, spank nasty capitalists, abolish God in every facet of humanity, give unfair tax advantages to those not willing to lift a finger & then hang himself.
bigmo66 wrote:...and Bush is intentionally prolonging the war so he can get these "'attaboys" once in a while.
Burke, if your theory is right, we should serve up Bin Laden when approval ratings dip just a bit more.
He still has to get gasoline back to $1, stop global warming, cure AIDS, approve gay marriage, spank nasty capitalists, abolish God in every facet of humanity, give unfair tax advantages to those not willing to lift a finger & then hang himself.
C'mon Mo... you know he lied to go to war in Iraq and have you forgotten the tax breaks the wealthy/Big Oil got ????
Izzo wrote:C'mon Mo... you know he lied to go to war in Iraq and have you forgotten the tax breaks the wealthy/Big Oil got ????
Every politician lies and believe me I have no extreme loyalty to anyone one man on earth. To what degree Bush may or may not have lied, we may never know. He may have been misled from other folks with their own agendas also. I won't argue one way or the other becasue I don't trust anyone at this point.
The tax issue is complicated and big business puts food on the table for a whole lot of people (even if it puts a Rolls Royce in their own driveway). What's the fair answer? I personally don't feel over-burdened, but I'd also like to see a trial run of the abolishment of the income tax.
Some folks are just flat-out richer than heck. Gates could lose 99% of his fortune and still be a multi-millionare. Some folks wouldn't be happy until he was taxed down to minimum wage.
Luck is where preparation meets opportunity - Seneca
"Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'" - Isaac Asimov
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You ever notice how some days are just better than others.
My Congratulations to all involved in Offing this Sick Fcker.
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Sincere Thanks
minir
minir
I 2nd your Congratulations to all involved.. I also hope that all the other @sses up your way get rounded up.. even though it looks like the main group got taken down.
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Lets just hope whoever takes his place is as inept and ineffective as he was. Obviously someone will be moving up in the ranks and taking his place right?
SG Pimp Name : *Treacherous P. Shizzle*
*
The fight for our way of life needs to be fought on our own soil, for our own people and because of our own interests.
*
Hey, If Me & My Buddies Were Making Billions of Dollars I'd Tell Ya What Ya Wanted To Hear Too!
thepieman wrote:Lets just hope whoever takes his place is as inept and ineffective as he was. Obviously someone will be moving up in the ranks and taking his place right?
Obviously someone will most likely take his place! The transition of power would be simple enough, but the impact of having their leader assassinated is tremendous IMO
Prey521 wrote:Obviously someone will most likely take his place! The transition of power would be simple enough, but the impact of having their leader assassinated is tremendous IMO
well if you ever remembered the thing with if you could go back in time to kill Hitler, would you have done it thing. Lets just hope some bloodthristy and ingenious dude that felt he was held back by this guy does not come into play. Just remember who trained some of these guys (CIA) and that some of them were very good at what they did. Zarqawi was an asshat going by what he did and was just plain lucky since he was captured before and mistakenly freed.
SG Pimp Name : *Treacherous P. Shizzle*
*
The fight for our way of life needs to be fought on our own soil, for our own people and because of our own interests.
*
Hey, If Me & My Buddies Were Making Billions of Dollars I'd Tell Ya What Ya Wanted To Hear Too!
Just a zit on the whole picture. If they would have focused on the insurgency and had enough manpower in the region when we first sent in the troops, it would be a big deal. As it stands, he has people in spads to take his place.
downhill wrote:Just a zit on the whole picture. If they would have focused on the insurgency and had enough manpower in the region when we first sent in the troops, it would be a big deal. As it stands, he has people in spads to take his place.
Don't under state Zarqawi's leadership. This was not some Gomer or puppet that can be replaced overnight. There might be plenty of folks willing to "try" and take his role and plenty ready to strap on dynamite, but he will not be duplicated thank goodness.
