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June 8, 2006
'Demise of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Courtesy of Task Force 145' (Updated)
Topics: IraqYes, the 'Beheader-in-Chief' is really dead, as in stone dead:
Update: So far as images of Zarqawi's face go - Here is my personal favorite:
Bill Roggio at The Counter Terrorism Blog says that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's death has provided the Coalition forces and the Iraqi people with a moral victory against al-Qaeda in Iraq, and reminds us that Zarqawi was a powerful symbol of modern jihad, and a ruthless commander willing to exercise brutality on the battlefield.
Roggio goes on to say that the heroes of his capture are Task Force 145:
Zarqawi is a legend in the jihadi community, who is often said to rival Osama bin Laden in popularity among the younger breed of jihadists. Zarqawi's image and audio and video tapes are widely distributed, and his trademark skullcap a fashion statement.Read the rest...Task Force 145 was very likely the linchpin in the success in killing Zarqawi, Sheik Abd-Al-Rahman, his spiritual adviser, and seven other lieutenants during a high-level meeting. Over the past two months, TF-145 has conducted numerous raids and killed or captured numerous high-level members of Zarqawi's organization in the area directly north and west of Baghdad. Known strikes against senior members of al-Qaeda in Iraq's organization were executed in Baghdad, Ramadi, Yusifiyah, Muthana Chemical Complex at Lake Thar Thar, Samarra, Karbala, Jublayah, and Balad. Zarqawi was finally identified and targeted in Baquba, a city with an entrenched insurgent presence. "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 kilometers north of Baqubah when the air strike was launched," according to Multinational Forces-Iraq.
Although most reports cite Jordanian intelligence as having played a large role in identifying the location of a safe House in Baqubah where Zarqawi was killed, US and foreign intelligence sources are saying that in actuality, Jordanian intelligence involvement - if any - was minimal.
Via Bill Roggio: You can see the airstike video with commentary by Maj. Gen. Bill Caldwell at the Washington Post website or a Flash version of the strike only on Michelle Malkin's "HotAir" site.
Meanwhile, Residents of Zarqawi's home town are split over his role, and his death. Some consider him a martyr.
Posted by Richard at June 8, 2006 2:16 PM
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