This Time Its Official, Terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Killed in Air Strike
Posted in: Military,War on Terror
The most wanted terrorist in Iraq is dead. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, his spiritual leader and others are all dead as a result of an air-strike when US planes dropped two 500 lb bombs on what they thought was a safe house.
(BBC)
Al-Zarqawi and several aides, including spiritual adviser Sheik Abdul Rahman, were killed Wednesday evening in a remote area 30 miles from Baghdad in the volatile province of Diyala, just east of the provincial capital of Baqouba, officials said.
(AP)
Fox News Breaking: TERMINATED … Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Killed in Bombing Raid
Gen. Caldwell said there was “100 percent confirmation” that Zarqawi was in the house prior to the attack.
Transcript of President George W. Bush’s comments on the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
CNN: U.S. airstrike kills al-Zarqawi; Bush: Terrorist’s death could ‘turn the tide’ in Iraq
Al-Zarqawi’s death gives Iraq a chance to “turn the tide” in the fight against the nation’s insurgency, President Bush said at the White House.
“The ideology of terror has lost one of its most visible and aggressive leaders,” Bush said. “Zarqawi’s death is a severe blow to al Qaeda.”
This effort to track and terminate Abu Musab al-Zarqawi came from suburb intelligence gathering and a tip from someone in Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s network. What a great lesson for the other terrorist in Iraq that the Iraqi people are getting tired of you killing their own.
He said that U.S. forces were trailing Sheikh Abdul-Rahman, Zarqawi’s spiritual adviser, and that led them to a small house in a palm grove area where they also discovered the al Qaeda leader was staying.
(Reuters)
The misguided terror propagandist tried to put a positive spin on the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Try as they might we can guarantee that al-Zarqawi would have liked others to have been martyr, not himself.
Arab Media Rush to Cover Al-Zarqawi
A note posted on one Web site – known as a clearinghouse for al-Qaida in Iraq statements – shortly after the news of al-Zarqawi’s death broke on TV said: “We hope this news is not true.”
At 0722 GMT the pan-Arab al-Arabiya TV carried a screen caption quoting its correspondent reporting: “Maliki announces the death of Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi in Iraq.”At 0729 GMT al-Jazeera reported that Iraqi TV was quoting the Iraqi prime minister as saying that Zarqawi had been killed. The TV added that “the Pentagon has not thus far confirmed the report”.
What was some of the Iraqi people’s reaction to the death of Zarqawi? Funny, this is not usually reported on the MSM. They make it appear more that the Iraqi people despise the Americans rather than the terrorists that kill them everyday with bombing. Reactions of the people:
- All of those interviewed expressed joy at the news
- “We consider this a great delight to the people because good has got to prevail,” said one.
- “We congratulate the Iraqi government on this great achievement because it has cut off the snake’s head,” said another.
- There was also anger from one elderly man who said that “Abu Musab al-Zarqawi deserves to be cut into pieces because he hurt, killed the people and slaughtered the Muslims.”
BBC: Obituary: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi 
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was Iraq’s most notorious insurgent – a shadowy figure associated with spectacular bombings, assassinations and the beheading of foreign hostages.ZARQAWI-CLAIMED ATTACKS19 Aug 2003: Bombing of UN office in Baghdad, 23 dead29 Aug 2003: Bombing of Najaf shrine killing Shia cleric Muhammad Baqr Hakim, 85 dead2 March 2004: Co-ordinated attack on Shia mosques during Ashoura ceremony, 181 dead11 May 2004: Nick Berg beheaded, first of at least nine foreign hostages killed in 200414 Sept 2004: Car bomb targeting police recruits in Baghdad, 47 dead19 Dec 2004: Car bombs in Najaf and Karbala, 60 dead9 Nov 2005: Triple attack on hotels in Amman, 60 dead
Zarqawi died in a strike against an “isolated safe house” about 8km (five miles) north of Baquba at 1815 (1415 GMT) on Wednesday.
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Jordanian intelligence reportedly assisted the US-led operation
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Zarqawi traced to isolated safe house approximately 8km north of Baquba, north east of Baghdad
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US aircraft launched air strike at about 1815. The militant leader was reportedly holding a meeting with associates, including spiritual adviser Sheikh Abd-al-Rahman, at time of raid
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Several others were reportedly killed
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Iraqi police were first on the scene, followed by troops from the Multi-National Division North
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Zarqawi’s identity confirmed by fingerprints, facial recognition and known scars
Reactions from England’s Prime MinisterTony Blair
Bloggers cover the death of al-Zarqawi:
The Gateway Pundit is 100% dead on in that this victory in the war on terror would not have been possible if we followed others shameful plans.
And, just think, this was only possible because the Murtha “cut and run” plan was avoided.
Michelle Malkin: ZARQAWI HAS BEEN KILLED
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