Is Abu Musab al-Zarqawi dead? Adnkronos International, who was first in reporting Zarqawi was injured on May 11, reports Zarqawi died today and his body has been placed in a cemetery in Fallujah.
Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi - al-Qaeda's leader in Iraq - died on Friday and his body is in Fallujah's cemetary, an Iraqi Sunni sheikh, Ammar Abdel Rahim Nasir, has told the Saudi on-line newspaper Al-Medina. He claims that gunfights which broke out in Fallujah in the last few days involved militants trying to protect the insurgency leader's tomb from a group of American soldiers patrolling the area.
During a telephone conversation from the city of Fallujah with the Saudi newspaper, Nasir said al-Zarqawi was taken there after being injured in the city of Ramadi around three weeks ago, and may have been treated by two doctors who had worked with his aides in Baghdad. He said the two doctors had stopped a serious haemorrhage in al-Zarqawi's intestines, but that after his condition worsened last week, the militant died on Friday.
Nasir adds that in his will the insurgent leader left the order that no funeral should be held for him and the right to announce his death should be left to the al-Qaeda leadership in Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden.
The Al-Medina newspaper reports that it also called the headmaster of a school in Fallujah, who preferred to remain anonymous, but confirmed that many people in the city were aware of the fact that al-Zarqawi had recently been taken to the city.
Skirmishes outside the cemetery in Fallujah could not be confirmed. Andrew Cochran of The Counterterrorism Blog informs me that “a host of well-placed sources of good intel, including inside the US Government, are now involved” in investigating the claim of Zarqawi's death. Andrew also cautions that news source Al-Medina, which is cited in the Adnkronos International article, is “not a consistently reliable source according to knowledgeable overseas press.” A fair warning.
ABC News reports there is little news on Zarqawi's whereabouts, however the CIA sees "symptoms of discord" within al Qaeda in Iraq, providing further evidence that something is amiss within the organization.
"When I look at these Web Sites … I see symptoms of needing to rally the troops. I see symptoms of discord," the [CIA] official said, mimicking the contradictory nature of their reports:"'Here's his successor', 'No he's not his successor', 'He's really injured with shrapnel in his lung', 'I'm okay, bin Laden'. What does this all mean?" he asked.
"For all of their media savvy, it certainly seems like there's confusion in the ranks when I look at the volume of information that they are putting out there."
The rumor of Zarqawi's death should be easy to confirm. If his body is indeed in the cemetery in Fallujah, the government should be able to easily find it and conduct a DNA test to match DNA from Zarqawi’s family which is undoubtedly on file. Nothing will seal the deal like Zarqawi’s corpse.
Recent Background Posts on Zarqawi:
- The Fog of War on Zarqawi
- al Qaeda in Iraq: Next in Line
- Zarqawi Successors
- The Struggle for Zarqawi's Throne
- Zarqawi's Destination: Which Country?
- Zarqawi: "Chest Pains" and More Middlemen
- Wounded Z, Revisited
- The Network of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Iraq
- Org Chart
- Wounded Z?
- Zarqawi's Laptop
- Zarqawi in Context: Is He al-Qaeda?
- Special Report: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
All I can say is, I hope so.
Had a conversation of my own the other day... guy was apparently very interested in Arab serial killers, and kept a copy of Silence of the Lambs on hand. Definitely adds a serious "creepy factor" to a very evil man.
But of course, this guy's really one of the Minutemen. Michael Moore said so.
I suspect it might be an attempt to draw some heat form him. I won't believe he is dead until I see the body.
Bill, expect a call of your own soon.
He's not confirmed dead by any means, though there are a lot of people in Iraq right now are working to make sure that that changes ASAP.
Bill, a great post with all the links, and thanks for the reference to the Counterterrorism Blog. I want to see if the Sunday Times of London does anything on this, as they did with the AZ injury story 4 days after the May 11 AKI story to which you linked.
junkyard dog had this one a couple of days ago, and i have been very keen for more info.
edited for content
Jailers splashed Koran with urine - Pentagon"
Pentagon: Soldier Kicked Koran at Gitmo
Best face saving move now for you would be to just admit your mistakes and hope everyone forgets that you were so willing to condemn without knowing the full story...looks like the Gov't played you and all the rest of the Right Wing propogandists for fools...allowing you all to get so angry at the "MSM" even when they knew they were right.
How embarrassing.
No, Ari, Newsweek wasn't "right". What they reported was not accurate. The story that they repeated didn't happen as they reported it. That there were some other incidents - which you will note from the stories were investigated and the subject of discipline of the guards - doesn't make their false story accurate.
So the only one who should be embarrassed is you.
Did I say "Newsweek" was right? Bill anger cast a much wider net, and you know it.
You might want to read more carefully next time before trying to play gotcha.
Speak to me like that again, Ari, and you are finished here. Do you understand? I've removed your offensive comments, you childish whiner.
Was the Koran flushed as Newsweek claimed? Shut you piehole and get on with your life.
Do not pretend to know what my anger is, or what nets I am casting. I am specific in my posts for a reason, and you are lying if you think you know otherwise.
This is completely off topic for this thread, and any further comments on it willbe deleted.
Understand, Ari? Take your faux outrage over perceived Koran abuses elsewhere.
Evidently, Ari, you are incapable of following your own advice. Color me shocked to so discover.
My apologies Bill. Timelag prevented me from seeing your comment before adding my own.
Ari, under Winds comments policy, a post author has the power to ban a poster from their individual threads, or from one particular thread. Topicality can certainly be grounds, too, as noted in the policy.
I'm interpreting Bill's words here as a "refrain from participation" request for this particular thread, and his follow-on warning as extending to all of Bill's posts if this escalates.
Note that this does not = a site-wide ban (indeed, even if Bill escalates the "do not participate" request there are still 30 or so other authors on Winds).
I will note that refusal to obey an author's request does result in technical measures and a site-wide ban - but I would really rather not do that.
Any questions or issues, let's take this up direct via email: joe, over here @windsofchange.net
This story sounds weird. They take Zarqawi to Falluja. Isn't that place cordonned off or has it just been reoccupied by the insurgents?
Apparently the suposed misdeeds at gitmo are all bunkem ... what im finding out however, actually does bother me....
Im talking about bending over backwards to the point where it dont even sound like a prison, it sounds like a summer camp.
Now granted, it seem there are a few rather un-dangerous folk there, who have in mind fixing cars and growing flowers not adventures with a gun, so for those the library, the soccer games, to pass the time till they are prosessed out seems laudable.
But the hard cases there ... why in the hell are we worried about dunking a koran ?
they will shread your bible on arrival in saudi arabia if you have a suitcase full of them you will have your head chopped off.
Im not into this dimmi stuff, I dont care if korans are the only source of asswipe.
Even if the story was true, why is this supposed to be a crime ? why is it even worth mention, and why are the left so animated about it ?
We discover a mass grave of kids, still clutching their toys.
This means the kids was herded to the bottom of the ditch and shot, covered where they fell.
Response from the left .... crickets ....
Ohh but let the bible confiscating left detect the dunking of a koran ,,,,,
We need to bring back corporal punishment for these brats, because clearly their ass didnt get enough paddle when they was growing up.
And frankly, anyone of you that shrinks back from their hyperventaling mania needs a few booster swats yourself.
"This story sounds weird. They take Zarqawi to Falluja. Isn't that place cordonned off or has it just been reoccupied by the insurgents?"
Good question. To date, the US has been very smart about keeping insurgents from seeping back in on a large scale. When Fallujah went down my first worry was that a smart enemy would do its best to get back in town asap and cause more trouble. That would be disheatening to everyone involved and encourage the perception that the insurgency was endless. Either the enemy isnt smart or our people are able to keep them out, probably a bit of both. Im guessing this story isnt true, but if it were they might simply have assumed Fallujah was the last place the US would look. Tough call.
I have been following the Koran "abuse" story.
The worst was the trumpeting of the guard taking a wizz on the Koran. Except it never happened.
The guard took a leak near a ventilation shaft and some drops of liquid may have been sucked in the ventilation system and accidentially been deposited on a prisoner and his book.
A mistake rather than a deliberate attempt at desecration.
The soldier was reassigned to non-prisoner contact duties.
=======================This post though off topic is an attempt to keep the record straight.
=======================As to the Z man? He has to be leading a bitter lonely existance. On the run. Trusting no one.
=====================The Fallujah bit may just be evidence that the ratline was not well closed at the time. Evidence of that fact is the continuing operations to close the rat line.