Che -Guevara Posted June 8, 2006 Militant leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, blamed for killing thousands of Shias and US forces in Iraq, has been killed in an air raid. The leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq died in a strike against an isolated safe house about 8km (five miles) north of Baquba, the US said. US President George W Bush said the death was a severe blow to al-Qaeda. The news came shortly before the Iraqi parliament approved the key posts of defence and interior ministers. The two crucial roles had remained unfilled despite the formation of a coalition government last month. Fingerprints "We have eliminated Zarqawi," Prime Minister Nouri Maliki told a news conference in Baghdad, sparking sustained applause. The head of US-led forces in Iraq, General George Casey, said the strike took place at 1815 (1415 GMT) on Wednesday. It was a co-ordinated attack involving US and Iraqi air and ground forces, a US military spokesman told the BBC News website. Watch the speech Jordanian-born Zarqawi was said to have been in a meeting with associates at the time. Several other people were reported to have been killed in the raid. General Casey said Zarqawi's body was identified through fingerprints, facial recognition and known scars. He promised to give more details on the raid later on Thursday. Reports say a statement on the internet attributed to an umbrella group for jihadi organisations including al-Qaeda in Iraq has confirmed Zarqawi's death. Tip-offs Correspondents say it remains to be seen if one man's death will bring a breakthrough in Iraq. ABU MUSAB AL-ZARQAWI US $25m bounty on head Linked to Iraqi bombings, assassinations and beheadings Merged Iraqi insurgent group with Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network in 2004 Emerged in Iraq as Tawhid and Jihad group chief Linked to Casablanca and Istanbul blasts, in 2003 Foreign fighter against Soviet forces in Afghanistan in 1980s Jordan petty criminal in youth Obituary: Zarqawi Zarqawi in his own words Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was not a global mastermind like al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, says the BBC's security correspondent, Frank Gardner. Instead he was a bloodthirsty and violent thug, who made enemies and several mistakes that might have contributed to his downfall. These included ordering a triple suicide bombing against hotels in Amman, Jordan, last November, that killed 60 people, our correspondent says. A Jordanian official told the Associated Press that Jordanian agents had contributed to the operation against Zarqawi. Mr Maliki said intelligence from Iraqi people had helped track down Zarqawi, who had a $25m (£13m) price on his head - the same bounty as that offered by the US for Bin Laden. 'Justice' In Washington, Mr Bush said the strike had "delivered justice to the most wanted terrorist in Iraq". He acknowledged it would not end unrest in the country, but he said the "ideology of terror has lost one of its most visible and aggressive leaders". Violence continued on Thursday as 13 people were killed and 28 injured in a bomb on a Baghdad market, police said. Zarqawi was accused of leading the rash of kidnappings and beheadings of foreign workers. It has been suggested that he appeared personally on one video posted on the internet, cutting off the head of an American hostage. web page Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
