Breaking News: Abu Musab Killed In Iraq ...

[Vince278]

Originally posted by Datajack Franit
Enjoy your 70 virgins

I for one gave up on finding that many in the US.

Originally posted by Zkribbler
Zarqawi has an ow-ie.

500 pound bombs can leave a mark.

[chequita guevara]

Apparently we could have killed him both in 2002 and 2003 but decided not to, so that we could use him as an excuse to try and pretend that Hussein was working with al-Qaeda.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4431601/

I love my govnerment.

In January 2003, the threat turned real. Police in London arrested six terror suspects and discovered a ricin lab connected to the camp in Iraq.

The Pentagon drew up still another attack plan, and for the third time, the National Security Council killed it.

Military officials insist their case for attacking Zarqawi’s operation was airtight, but the administration feared destroying the terrorist camp in Iraq could undercut its case for war against Saddam.

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by Arrian
it's kinda like lopping one head off a hydra.

-Arrian

This metaphor is popular ...

The hydra loses a head

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Sava
But talk of imperialism and such is just silly.

That assumes times haven't changed. We expect our troops to behave themselves, and so with the spotlight even meagerly upon Iraq, we do, sort of.

It also assumes imperialists haven't learned. It's far more important to control the wealth than to plant a flag and station troops and colonists. If we can get the locals to police our property from the natives for us, they can do all the killing without too much of a peep from the citizenry here while enjoying the benefits of ownership.

The American version of imperialism is far more effective than any previous version, which is why the rest of the world's imperialist countries switched, rather than continuing to try and fight bloody colonial wars to hold on to their stuff. Whatever you want to call it: neo-imperialism, neo-colonialism, Pax Americana, hegemony, it's still the same old thing. Just with less cost to us.

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Apparently we could have killed him both in 2002 and 2003 but decided not to, so that we could use him as an excuse to try and pretend that Hussein was working with al-Qaeda.

You could have had bin Laden in March '96 if you'd wanted him.

The Sudanese offer of extradition was turned down.

"[U.S. officials] said, 'Just ask him to leave the country. Just don't let him go to Somalia,' Erwa, the Sudanese general, said in an interview. 'We said he will go to Afghanistan, and they [US officials] said, 'Let him.'" The Washington Post,' 3 October 2001

[Cort Haus]

And in case anyone forgot, according to 'Jane's Intelligence Review:'

"In February 1995, US authorities named bin Laden and his Saudi brother-in-law, Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, among 172 unindicted co-conspirators with the 11 Muslims charged for the World Trade Center bombing and the associated plot to blow up other New York landmarks." ('Jane's Intelligence Review,' 1 October 1995)

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Cort Haus
You could have had bin Laden in March '96 if you'd wanted him.

That's an old myth that doesn't die easily. Sudan never offered to turn bin Laden over to us. They offered to turn him over to the Saudi's who rejected the deal. It was in exchange for Sudan being taken off the list of terrorism-sponoring state. Not a good deal, especially since, in '96, bin Laden was percieved to be a minor nuisence. He had nothing to do with the '93 WTC bombing, which was cooked up by Yusef Ramsey. IIRC, it was in '96 that bin Laden's first attack against us occured, in the Khobar Towers attack. It wasn't until '98 with the embassy bombings that bin Laden proved to be a major threat to us.

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
, it was in '96 that bin Laden's first attack against us occured, in the Khobar Towers attack. It wasn't until '98 with the embassy bombings that bin Laden proved to be a major threat to us.

Jane's think otherwise (see above). On what basis do you assert that Bin Laden had nothing to do with the '93 attack?

[chequita guevara]

The fact that Yusef Ramsey didn't join al Qaeda until after the attacks. The bombing was the work of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, which had some contacts with al-Qaeda.

The mastermind of the 9/11 attacks actually got the idea from Ramsey when the two later worked together. The details of the plot were actually uncovered in '96 when Ramsey was captured, though the plan he was immediately working on was a plot to blow up four airliners simultaneously over the Pacific. Unfortunately, we didn't pay enough attention to them.

[Darius871]

Originally posted by Lord Avalon

I like the dancing banana in the chador.

[GePap]

Good news, but I doubt it will have long term impact in terms of helping the political situation in Iraq. Lets see what kind of guy is the new boss.

[SlowwHand]

U.S. shows photos of battered al-Zarqawi

By PATRICK QUINN and KIM GAMEL, Associated Press Writers
1 hour, 22 minutes ago

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military displayed images of the battered face of
Iraq's most feared terrorist Thursday and Iraqis celebrated with gunfire after American bombs killed the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq. It was a long-sought victory for U.S. forces, but officials cautioned of violence ahead — and a string of blasts proved that prediction almost immediately.

Within minutes of the announcement of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's death, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki named three key security ministers — military and political breakthroughs in rapid succession that marked the biggest potential turnaround in Iraq in months.

The two events may give the United States and its Iraqi allies another brief chance to build momentum toward stability and away from violence. With al-Zarqawi out of the way and the new government in place, some Sunni Arab leaders may be emboldened to resume a dialogue they started last fall — exchanges sunk by al-Zarqawi's al-Qaida in Iraq.

If another effort is made, much will depend on the Iraqi government's ability to live up to its promises to build a political system that includes all groups, including disaffected Sunnis. More than a dozen Sunni Arab insurgent groups are believed to be operating in Iraq, and a few use tactics just as ruthless as al-Zarqawi's.

"This popular front and national unity is our guarantee to fighting all challenges," al-Maliki told a Baghdad news conference. But, he warned, "whenever there is a new al-Zarqawi, we will kill him."

President Bush and U.S. military leaders cautioned that the death of the 39-year-old militant was not likely to end the bloodshed — just as the capture of
Saddam Hussein and the killings of his two sons failed to dampen the insurgency. A rash of bombings that killed nearly 40 people in Baghdad on Thursday confirmed that assessment.

"We have tough days ahead of us in Iraq that will require the continuing patience of the American people," Bush said.

Nevertheless, the president called the killing "a severe blow to al-Qaida, and it is a significant victory in the war on terror."

Tips from within al-Zarqawi's own terror network helped the U.S. locate and bomb a safe house where the al-Qaida leader was meeting in secret with top associates, American military officials said. Al-Maliki told al-Arabiya television the $25 million bounty the U.S. put on al-Zarqawi's head would be honored, saying "we will meet our promise."

Al-Zarqawi was killed at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday after an intense two-week hunt that U.S. officials said first led to the terror leader's spiritual adviser and then to him.

Loud applause broke out as al-Maliki, flanked by U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and U.S. Gen. George Casey, announced at the news conference that "al-Zarqawi was eliminated."

Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said the American airstrike targeted "an identified, isolated safe house." Four other people, including a woman and a child, were killed with al-Zarqawi and Abu Abdul-Rahman al-Iraqi, the terrorist's spiritual consultant.

Al-Qaida confirmed al-Zarqawi's death in a statement and vowed to continue its "holy war." Curiously, the announcement was signed by al-Iraqi, who was identified as deputy "emir" of the group, perhaps in an attempt to spread confusion.

Fingerprints, tattoos and scars helped U.S. troops identify al-Zarqawi's body, White House spokesman Tony Snow said. The military released pictures of al-Zarqawi's face after the airstrike, with his eyes closed and spots of blood, images reminiscent of photos of Saddam's dead sons.

Spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell also showed a videotape of the air assault taken by one of the F-16 fighter jets that dropped the two 500-pound bombs, obliterating the terrorist leader's safe house five miles west of Baqouba.

"We had absolutely no doubt whatsoever that Zarqawi was in the house," Caldwell said.

U.S. and Iraqi intelligence found al-Zarqawi by following al-Iraqi, who was seen going into the house shortly before American jets were ordered into action in the skies 30 miles northeast of Baghdad.

Intelligence officials had identified al-Iraqi several weeks ago with help from "somebody inside the al-Zarqawi network," Caldwell said.

"Through a painstaking intelligence effort, we were able to start tracking him, monitor his movements and establish when he was doing his linkup with al-Zarqawi," he said.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Gary L. North, who commands U.S. and coalition air operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan, said al-Zarqawi's meeting in the house gave commanders time to gather exact coordinates and redirect the fighters, which were already in the air.

"We knew exactly where he was and we chose the right moment," North told The Associated Press.

In the final two weeks of the manhunt, Caldwell indicated U.S. and Iraqi forces had pinpointed the location of many other key al-Qaida figures but had held off for fear of spooking their boss. After al-Zarqawi was killed, U.S. and Iraqi forces carried out 17 raids in the Baghdad region, he said.

What may have partly enabled the success now after so long was Khalilzad's efforts to patch up relations with Sunnis.

At the same time, the Jordanian-born al-Zarqawi, who was sensitive to U.S.-encouraged derision of a foreigner killing Iraqis, began cozying up to Sunni insurgents. It was probably the move that led to his undoing, said Ed O'Connell, a retired Air Force intelligence officer who led manhunts for
Osama bin Laden and others in Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen.

"Once that happened, all we needed was a guy inside the insurgency to tell us where he was and, bam, we got him," he said.

The airstrike occurred in the village of Hibhib, which is known for producing anise-flavored arak, a popular alcoholic drink.

The region had seen a spike in gruesome sectarian killings in recent days, including the discovery of 17 severed heads in fruit boxes. Not far away this week, gunmen killed 21 Shiites, including a dozen students, after separating out four Sunni Arabs.

Al-Zarqawi was known for his extraordinary brutality as one of the extremist leaders in the largely Sunni Arab insurgency, earning him the title of "the slaughtering sheik" among his followers. He is believed to have wielded the huge knives used in beheading American hostages Nicholas Berg and Eugene Armstrong. Grisly videos of the slayings were posted on the Internet, part of the propaganda campaign that was key to al-Zarqawi's movement.

His followers were believed responsible for the deaths of thousands of Iraqi Shiites, mainly in a campaign of roadside bombings and suicide attacks.

In the past year, he moved his campaign beyond Iraq's borders, claiming to have carried out a triple suicide bombing against hotels in Amman, Jordan, that killed 60 people, as well as other attacks in his homeland and even a rocket attack from Lebanon into
Israel.

Caldwell said Egyptian-born Abu al-Masri would likely take the reins of al-Qaida in Iraq. He said al-Masri trained in Afghanistan and arrived in Iraq in 2002 to establish an al-Qaida cell.

Buoyed by his announcement of al-Zarqawi's death, al-Maliki won parliamentary approval for three important ministers — ending a three-week stalemate.

The new defense minister is Army Gen. Abdul-Qader Mohammed Jassim al-Mifarji, a Sunni Arab, while Shiite Jawad al-Bolani took over the Interior post. The new minister of state for national security, Sherwan al-Waili, who will advise the prime minister, also is a Shiite.

Police in Baghdad's Shiite enclave of Sadr City greeted news of al-Zarqawi's death by firing weapons into the air and chanting in elation.

But al-Zarqawi was mourned in Anbar province.

"This a great loss for all the Sunnis," 40-year-old Abid al-Duleimi said. "If they killed al-Zarqawi, more than one al-Zarqawi will replace him."

___

Associated Press writers Hamza Hendawi, Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Sinan Salaheddin and Qais al-Bashir in Baghdad and Katherine Shrader in Washington contributed to this report.

[Jon Miller]

I was disgusted by all the images of his dead body I saw.

I know this is weird, I have no real problems in general seeing it in movies or TV shows (fictional ones). But seeing RL dead bodies just upsets me.

Jon Miller

[SlowwHand]

It's done as proof. They know of people like frequent ACS and doubt the moon landing, and things like that.
Blame them.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Sava
Invasion was not necessarily imperialism. It was about protecting the security of the oil reserves. Say what you want about Bush and the corruption in the administration (Cheney, Halliburton, etc)... there have been plans on the table to go to war in the Gulf to protect the oil reserves going back 50 years.

It's not the US's oil reserves. So it's quite imperialistic to "protect" the reserves from the locals.