Iraq terrorist leader Zarqawi 'terminated'

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1792817,00.html

Sorry if it is already posted

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq who led a bloody campaign of suicide bombings, kidnappings and hostage beheadings, has been killed in a US air raid near Baghdad, Iraq's prime minister said today.
Nouri al-Maliki said Al-Zarqawi and seven aides were killed last night in a house 30 miles northeast of Baghdad, in the volatile province of Diyala.

"Today, al-Zarqawi was eliminated," Mr Maliki told a news conference, drawing loud applause from reporters. He was flanked by the US ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad, and General George Casey, the top US commander in Iraq.

Mr Maliki said the air strike was the result of US forces acting on information provided to Iraqi security forces by local residents.

"Those who disrupt the course of life, like al-Zarqawi, will have a tragic end," he said.

Mr Khalilzad said Zarqawi's death was "a huge success for Iraq and the international war on terror. He was the godfather of sectarian violence in Iraq."

The Jordanian-born militant, who is believed to have personally beheaded at least two American hostages, became Iraq's most wanted militant, as notorious as Osama bin Laden, to whom he swore allegiance in 2004.

The United States had a $25m bounty on Zarqawi, the same as on Bin Laden.

Zarqawi is blamed for the of beheading foreign captives, including the British man Ken Bigley, and suicide bombings that have injured and killed hundreds in Iraq.

US forces and their allies came close to capturing Zarqawi several times since his campaign began in mid-2003.

In late 2004, the then deputy interior minister, Major General Hussein Kamal, said Iraqi security forces caught Zarqawi near the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah but then released him because they didn't realise who he was.

In May 2005, statements by his group on the internet said Zarqawi had been wounded in fighting with Americans and was being treated in a foreign hospital - raising speculation over a successor among his aides.

But days later, another statement said Zarqawi was fine and had returned to Iraq. There was never any independent confirmation of the reports of his injury.

US forces believe they just missed capturing Zarqawi in a raid in February last year in which troops closed in on his vehicle west of Baghdad near the Euphrates river.

His driver and an associate were caught and Zarqawi's computer was seized along with pistols and ammunition.

Two major US invasions of Fallujah in 2004 failed to find Zarqawi.

― Paul Kelly (kelly), Thursday, 8 June 2006 07:44 (nineteen years ago)

Terminated. Eliminated.

Do the Pentagon think they're in some fucking action movie?

No tears for this chappie, but if anyone seriously thinks Iraq is suddenly going to come over all peaceful and democratic, you're seriously mistaken.

And it's a bit rich to call it a major victory in the war on terror when he wasn't actually blowing anyone up prior to the US invasion...

― Hello Sunshine (Hello Sunshine), Thursday, 8 June 2006 07:58 (nineteen years ago)

Seems to have had an immediate if only temporary effect.

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Thursday, 8 June 2006 08:02 (nineteen years ago)

Roadside bomb kills 13 in Baghdad market-police

BAGHDAD, June 8 (Reuters) - A roadside bomb killed 13 people and wounded 28 others in a crowded Baghdad market on Thursday, police sources said.
The explosion occurred in the eastern New Baghdad district, they said.

― Hello Sunshine (Hello Sunshine), Thursday, 8 June 2006 09:05 (nineteen years ago)

nice to see ilx is more saddened and disappointed by zarqawi's death than it was by nicholas berg's (nevermind any troops of course - they're the 'real' terrorists). you guys never fail to live up to yr potential.

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 8 June 2006 09:47 (nineteen years ago)

Where is anyone expressing sadness or disappointment?

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 8 June 2006 09:52 (nineteen years ago)

blount be 'supporting the troops' or some consistent shit.

― Enrique IX: The Mediator (Enrique), Thursday, 8 June 2006 09:54 (nineteen years ago)

He could maybe wait until people actually say anything before misinterpreting them.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 8 June 2006 09:54 (nineteen years ago)

Has Zarqawi got an RIP thread that I missed or something? All I can see before Blount's post is:

One news report.
One message about the military terminology and cynicism about whether this is a significant victory.
One message about the price of oil.
One report of more deaths in Iraq.
No tears for Zarqawi.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 8 June 2006 09:56 (nineteen years ago)

no useful comments to make at this stage

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 8 June 2006 09:58 (nineteen years ago)

http://homepage.mac.com/brianflemming/iblog/images/bush_aircraft_carrier_photo.jpg

― Enrique IX: The Mediator (Enrique), Thursday, 8 June 2006 10:00 (nineteen years ago)

I'm not surprised by blount's reaction - i've just been looking at the BBC 'have your say' pages and they are full of this attitude - accusing the BBC of not being triumphant enough about the news (what are they supposed to do put it up in fckng flashing lights?), accusing Al-Jazeera of not reporting it (when it's on the front page) and accusing those dastardly liberals of crying over his death (when I'm not).

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Thursday, 8 June 2006 10:02 (nineteen years ago)

yay, we killed a cypher!

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Thursday, 8 June 2006 10:08 (nineteen years ago)

"Has Zarqawi got an RIP thread that I missed or something? All I can see before Blount's post is:

the smoking gun -- that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Thursday, 8 June 2006 10:10 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.cjr.org/issues/2006/3/schulman.asp

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Thursday, 8 June 2006 10:37 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.renewal.ca/horse-cart.jpg

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Thursday, 8 June 2006 10:54 (nineteen years ago)

blount, your comment upthread is just nutty. nobody said any such thing! if you despise everyone here to that extent, why do you stick around. I'm not saying leave, I'm saying take off your blinders dude and talk to people instead of whatever straw men you have around.

god, though, i am such a horrible hateful liberal for not celebrating all over the internets about this. granted, I was asleep until about fifteen minutes ago, but still, being asleep and not knowing about it and anything else I could've done would also only serve to prove that I hate the troops

― dar1a g (daria g), Thursday, 8 June 2006 10:59 (nineteen years ago)

and while I'm at it, GOOD. maybe this will cut down on the violence so we can get the hell out of there that much sooner.

we now return to our regularly scheduled strawman political discussion in which conservatives go on and on about how liberals don't celebrate loudly enough to disprove the truism that they hate America, and liberals fret about Bush gaining two points in the polls even though he's not up for reelection, like, ever

― dar1a g (daria g), Thursday, 8 June 2006 11:01 (nineteen years ago)

daria, your job as a citizen of the newly-formed democracy of the united states of the internets is to display your loyalty at the appropriate cues for anyone insecure enough to question it, but not to ask questions

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Thursday, 8 June 2006 11:06 (nineteen years ago)

Well, the terrorists will at least be delayed from further mayhem temporarily while they put together a video montage of Zarqawi set to Sara McLachlan's "I Will Remember You."

― Nemo (JND), Thursday, 8 June 2006 11:13 (nineteen years ago)

How many times have Zarqawi, Hussein and/or bin Laden been killed now?

― DAVE, for #1 Hits of yesterday and today! (dave225.3), Thursday, 8 June 2006 11:21 (nineteen years ago)

1, 0, and 0, respectively, according to my scorecard.

― Nemo (JND), Thursday, 8 June 2006 11:29 (nineteen years ago)

eat it Zarqari!

BOMBS OVER BAGHDAD

― oh, wrinklepaws! (Wrinklepaws), Thursday, 8 June 2006 11:30 (nineteen years ago)

bin laden has been killed at least once.

― Enrique IX: The Mediator (Enrique), Thursday, 8 June 2006 11:31 (nineteen years ago)

the internet is so dumb. why do I even use it? I'm going to work now so I can work on creating more dumb stuff to put on the Internet

― dar1a g (daria g), Thursday, 8 June 2006 11:32 (nineteen years ago)

Hussein was killed in a few overnight air raids as well. Wait for the body, is all I'm sayin'.

― DAVE, for #1 Hits of yesterday and today! (dave225.3), Thursday, 8 June 2006 11:35 (nineteen years ago)

Iraqi government says they have it and he's been identified by fingerprints.

― Nemo (JND), Thursday, 8 June 2006 11:39 (nineteen years ago)

I think this was the first time he got killed...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4446084/

And this was the second...
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/084171.php

Or this time...
http://counterterror.typepad.com/the_counterterrorism_blog/2005/06/al_zarqawi_deat.html

And then he was nearly killed...
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1132475588009&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

But he really is dead now.

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Thursday, 8 June 2006 12:04 (nineteen years ago)

I like this quote...
"He can't be that difficult to recognise with his wooden leg."

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Thursday, 8 June 2006 12:06 (nineteen years ago)

ally queues website is saying he's dead, not sure if they have a cool animated gif for it yet though.

you can also get a podcast of his screams.

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Thursday, 8 June 2006 12:08 (nineteen years ago)

There's a picture of him dead here (or at least having a sleep).
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/08/AR2006060800358.html

I was really pleased with the news but then I read Bush's statement and the old liberal in me came bursting out. "Delivering justice"? No, armed forces bombed the crap out of a building they were pretty sure he was in, that's fine and dandy but it isn't anything to do with justice. And stating that al-q 'personally' beheaded Americans. Is there actually any proof that he did this? I mean I'm sure he probably did, but now we'll never know will we?

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Thursday, 8 June 2006 12:41 (nineteen years ago)

I said my piece on the Iraq June 2006 thread.
I'm very doubtful as a taxpayer that the invested capital in munitions and informant payoffs for this operation will meet my minimum acceptable rate of return.

― TOMBOT (TOMBOT), Thursday, 8 June 2006 12:46 (nineteen years ago)

yeah im glad this fucker is dead but this really changes nothing

― and what (ooo), Thursday, 8 June 2006 12:47 (nineteen years ago)

also blount wtf

― and what (ooo), Thursday, 8 June 2006 12:47 (nineteen years ago)

To clarify, while I am entertained by video footage of disintegrated concrete and iron rebar twisted into heretofore inconceivable shapes, this is just more fuel for the shortsighted idiot policy fire and accomplishes exactly zilch for our boots on the ground save perhaps a brief morale boost for first-time deployees who don't know anything.

Fuck propaganda victories.

― TOMBOT (TOMBOT), Thursday, 8 June 2006 12:52 (nineteen years ago)

No, armed forces bombed the crap out of a building they were pretty sure he was in, that's fine and dandy but it isn't anything to do with justice.

Explain.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 8 June 2006 12:53 (nineteen years ago)

i'm glad they killed him cuz a terrorist expert on cnn just said that he was an "evil genius". and those guys are the worst. god less america.

― lil' sally sue from des moine (scott seward), Thursday, 8 June 2006 12:55 (nineteen years ago)

"We want to give you the joyous news of the martyrdom of the mujahed sheik Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
"The death of our leaders is life for us. It will only increase our persistence in continuing holy war so that the word of God will be supreme.
"We tell our sheik and emir, Usama bin Laden, God protect him, that your soldiers of Al Qaeda in Iraq are carrying on in the same plan set by sheik Abu Musab."

— Abu Abdel-Rahman al-Iraqi

― TOMBOT (TOMBOT), Thursday, 8 June 2006 12:55 (nineteen years ago)

actual quote from cnn: "Extremists never know when to stop."

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 8 June 2006 12:57 (nineteen years ago)

not to mention anti-american communist pinko rat Michael Berg's reaction, of course, goes without saying his quote is at the bottom of the page @ foxnews.com

― TOMBOT (TOMBOT), Thursday, 8 June 2006 12:57 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah CNN is actually downplaying the shit out of this! I'm proud of them!

― TOMBOT (TOMBOT), Thursday, 8 June 2006 12:57 (nineteen years ago)

actual quote from cnn: "Extremists never know when to stop."

but he said he could've quit any time he wanted to...

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 8 June 2006 12:58 (nineteen years ago)

actual quote from cnn: "Maybe that was the twig that led to the branch that led to the tree that led to the buzzsaw that fell on his head." this guy is my fave terrorism expert ever. he is ready for prime time.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 8 June 2006 12:58 (nineteen years ago)

There is something eerily retro-futuristic about "Watch bombing run that killed al-Zarqawi -- 2:00"

― DAVE, for #1 Hits of yesterday and today! (dave225.3), Thursday, 8 June 2006 13:04 (nineteen years ago)

"We want to give you the joyous news of the martyrdom of the mujahed sheik Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

"The death of our leaders is life for us. It will only increase our persistence in continuing holy war so that the word of God will be supreme.

"We tell our sheik and emir, Usama bin Laden, God protect him, that your soldiers of Al Qaeda in Iraq are carrying on in the same plan set by sheik Abu Musab."

— Abu Abdel-Rahman al-Iraqi

Give me a fucking break.
ihttp://www.creativescreenwriting.com/csdaily/csdart/images/2005-05-May/Star%20Wars%20-%20Strike%20me%20down%20(300w).jpg

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Thursday, 8 June 2006 13:33 (nineteen years ago)

sorry
http://www.nebulousdesigns.com/portfolio/3d/obiwan_red2.jpg

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Thursday, 8 June 2006 13:33 (nineteen years ago)

Killed one more terrist, made thousands more, 'ray for us.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 8 June 2006 13:42 (nineteen years ago)

In this case I really, really don't buy that.

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Thursday, 8 June 2006 13:53 (nineteen years ago)

yeah i dont think killing zarqawi really counts much for recruitment of people who wouldnt already be doing this shit - for that we have haditha

― and what (ooo), Thursday, 8 June 2006 13:56 (nineteen years ago)

for that, we have the INTERNETS

― dar1a g (daria g), Thursday, 8 June 2006 14:00 (nineteen years ago)

Skipping 16 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

it's not really about justice or vengeance at this stage, more of an ongoing war, surely?

I'm just poking at the semantics behind the NTR/Alfred disagreement.

― Dan (No Value-Add) Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 8 June 2006 15:00 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/comics/images/articles/mekon.jpg

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050719/wd3.jpg

― Who Are You... The Nerve... I Wanna Get Out, I Wanna Get Out (Dada), Thursday, 8 June 2006 15:00 (nineteen years ago)

This may not be as useful as the Administration and their lackeys say but sometimes people are more useful and affective in organizations than others. This may be the case here, though I fankly don't know. When organizations lose such key people, their morale may suffer. I hope that is the case here though I tend to be pessimistic at best.

― M. White (Miguelito), Thursday, 8 June 2006 15:02 (nineteen years ago)

let me try that again

"The death of Zarqawi, while enormously important, will not mean the end of all violence in that country and one ought not to take it as such"

--Donald Rumsfeld

― geoff (gcannon), Thursday, 8 June 2006 15:08 (nineteen years ago)

Hold on -- ONE MONTH AGO, wasn't the administration making a huge deal about that leaked video, in which Zarqawi was shown NOT KNOWING HOW TO FIRE A GUN? And now he's dead, he's a mastermind again? WTF.

― elmo argonaut (allocryptic), Thursday, 8 June 2006 15:09 (nineteen years ago)

"Look at him! He's wearing NEW BALANCE SNEAKERS! LOL n00b!"

― elmo argonaut (allocryptic), Thursday, 8 June 2006 15:16 (nineteen years ago)

yup yup
i bet that colonel who gave the presentation is still a smug asshole too!

― TOMBOT (TOMBOT), Thursday, 8 June 2006 15:18 (nineteen years ago)

remember there's no rule that propaganda has to be consistent

― TOMBOT (TOMBOT), Thursday, 8 June 2006 15:18 (nineteen years ago)

exactly. especially when you are just making shit up as you go along.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 8 June 2006 15:26 (nineteen years ago)

i actually don't have a problem with the "terminated" stuff at all, except that they did not also say "with extreme prejudice"

dammit, this is the only decent pic i can find of Jerry Ziesmer from that scene:

http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/5082/jerryziesmer0gr.jpg

― kingfish du lac (kingfish 2.0), Thursday, 8 June 2006 15:29 (nineteen years ago)

wtf does commanding terrorists/soldiers have to do with knowing how to hold a gun??? id like to see how bush holds an uzi himself

― and what (ooo), Thursday, 8 June 2006 15:45 (nineteen years ago)

id like to see how bush holds an uzi himself

Reagan had him beat, sorta

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/031208/031208_reaganactor_bcolumn.standard.jpg

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 8 June 2006 15:47 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.cratediggers.com/Library/images/Music/BDP%203.jpg

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Thursday, 8 June 2006 15:49 (nineteen years ago)

WHAT'S YR TAKE ON ZARQAWI?

INCOMPETENT!
MASTERMIND!
INCOMPETENT!
MASTERMIND!

― elmo argonaut (allocryptic), Thursday, 8 June 2006 15:50 (nineteen years ago)

if krs loses in 08 im moving to france

― and what (ooo), Thursday, 8 June 2006 15:52 (nineteen years ago)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5060468.stm
The dead included a woman and a child, and two others still to be identified.

Justice served on them as well presumably...

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Thursday, 8 June 2006 16:04 (nineteen years ago)

I mean delivered.

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Thursday, 8 June 2006 16:04 (nineteen years ago)

guilty by association

― Super Cub (Debito), Thursday, 8 June 2006 16:05 (nineteen years ago)

big fucking deal

― lord pooperton (ex machina), Thursday, 8 June 2006 16:28 (nineteen years ago)

wizardiscunga

― and what (ooo), Thursday, 8 June 2006 16:33 (nineteen years ago)

Speaking of Nicholas Berg

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Thursday, 8 June 2006 17:02 (nineteen years ago)

Soledad O'Brien is down with bloodlust.

― Stuh-du-du-du-du-du-du-denka (jingleberries), Thursday, 8 June 2006 17:34 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.drudgereport.com/siren.gif http://www.pcdon.com/US-Flag-11.gif TITS! http://www.pcdon.com/US-Flag-11.gif http://www.drudgereport.com/siren.gif

― Fluffy Bear (Fluffy Bear Hearts Rainbows), Thursday, 8 June 2006 19:02 (nineteen years ago)

More merriment:

Don't Ban That Boogie Sound [John J. Miller]

Rich's source makes an excellent point about today being an outstanding day for the troops. Radio stations should play "Rock the Casbah" (great conservative rock song #20) in their honor.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 8 June 2006 19:08 (nineteen years ago)

The key angle, from USA Today:

Oil prices fell for a third-straight day Thursday and plunged below $70 a barrel for the first time in more than two weeks as investors bet the killing of a key Iraqi insurgent would lead to increased oil production in the country...

John Kemp, oil analyst at Sempra, agreed that Iraq's oil sector, hobbled by decades of war, sanctions and underinvestment, may derive little benefit from Zarqawi's demise.

"Zarqawi's termination is a very big propaganda coup for the coalition, but I don't think it's going to have much impact on the ground. It isn't that significant from an oil market perspective," he said.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 8 June 2006 19:43 (nineteen years ago)

"Rock the Casbah" (great conservative rock song #20)

I take immense and heavy issue with this statement. Just because Armed Forces Radio likes to play it does not make a song fucking conservative. WTF.

― TOMBOT (TOMBOT), Thursday, 8 June 2006 19:47 (nineteen years ago)

More importantly it is not topper headon & joe strummer's faults that buzzcut likes to hear their tune every time he detonates a raghead. Grrrrr.

― TOMBOT (TOMBOT), Thursday, 8 June 2006 19:48 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, I was wondering about that. Anything to keep them happy.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 8 June 2006 19:50 (nineteen years ago)

but the Nashnul Eeview sez RTC is conservative, it must be so!

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 8 June 2006 19:55 (nineteen years ago)

Just because Armed Forces Radio likes to play it does not make a song fucking conservative.

so, Tom, i take it you haven't seen this yet:

50 conserative songs, as written by the NRO, get yr knives out

― kingfish du lac (kingfish 2.0), Thursday, 8 June 2006 19:58 (nineteen years ago)

I agree with a lot of what Berg says, but in a few places he sounds a little bit unhinged. Not that anyone wouldn't be after going through what he did.

― josh in sf (stfu kthx), Thursday, 8 June 2006 21:29 (nineteen years ago)

I HATE SOLEDAD O'BRIAN

― lord pooperton (ex machina), Thursday, 8 June 2006 21:31 (nineteen years ago)

oh yeah, and that idiot put out 50 more conservative rock songs

― kingfish du lac (kingfish 2.0), Thursday, 8 June 2006 21:56 (nineteen years ago)

“Alive,” by P.O.D. P.O.D. - Satellite - Alive ; buy CD on Amazon.com
An expression of Christian faith by a super-hip band.

― lord pooperton (ex machina), Thursday, 8 June 2006 22:12 (nineteen years ago)

“Life of a Salesman,” by Yellowcard. Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue - Life of a Salesman ; buy CD on Amazon.com
A deep cut from a cool band with a big future: “Father I will always be / That same boy that stood by the sea / And watched you tower over me / Now I’m older I wanna be the same as you.”

― lord pooperton (ex machina), Thursday, 8 June 2006 22:13 (nineteen years ago)

It wasn't him!

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/cp/world/20060609/w060901a.jpg http://www.un.org/chinese/aboutun/sg/messengers/images/pavarotti.jpg

― StanM (StanM), Friday, 9 June 2006 14:43 (nineteen years ago)

anyone see the NYPost today?

― lord pooperton (ex machina), Friday, 9 June 2006 14:45 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.nypost.com/img/front060906.gif

...

― StanM (StanM), Friday, 9 June 2006 14:46 (nineteen years ago)

no puns = no cred

― lord pooperton (ex machina), Friday, 9 June 2006 14:50 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/06/09/zarqawi_said_still_alive_after_airstrike/

― Tracey Hand (tracerhand), Friday, 9 June 2006 14:56 (nineteen years ago)

"He mumbled a little something but it was indistinguishable and it was very short."

"Oh wrinklepaws"?

― Who Are You... The Nerve... I Wanna Get Out, I Wanna Get Out (Dada), Friday, 9 June 2006 14:58 (nineteen years ago)

If the Post cover is circulated widely, I would up the estimate of Terrah Recruitment Score.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Friday, 9 June 2006 14:59 (nineteen years ago)

Defense Tech weighs in on the ops planning

― LOL Thomas (Chris Barrus), Friday, 9 June 2006 17:19 (nineteen years ago)

Is his severed head mounted atop the White House yet?

― Washable School Paste (sexyDancer), Friday, 9 June 2006 17:22 (nineteen years ago)

I love how the Defense Tech article talks about "ten years ago" but conveniently skips over consideration of warfare prior to that, or the general efficacy of precision airstrikes versus old school dropping bigger munitions more places. I seem to recall that "fifty years ago" we were flying 50 times as many strike sorties from the deck of the Enterprise than we do from our modern carriers. No, go ahead, pat yourselves on the back, you're rich, after all, and that's the whole point, right.

We still killed innocent civilians in the area, Zarqawi is not Bin Laden, and performing a similar attack with an F-4 and Zuni rockets would have yielded the same motherfucking results - albeit much more cheaply, I suspect.

The author all but points out that pilots are fundamentally unnecessary at this point, though, which is in his favor.

― TOMBOT (TOMBOT), Friday, 9 June 2006 17:51 (nineteen years ago)

please put on your tinfoil hats.

given the ideological & tactical differences between bin laden and zarqawi -- especially regarding violence against muslims -- would it be outlandish to speculate whence came the information leading to the bombing? the u.s. will credit its own sources, but al qaida could have easily leaked zarqawi's location and disposed of an inconvenient leader and made better use of him as a martyr than a commander.

i've been reading a LOT of spy fiction lately, so i'm pretty sure this is cranktastic nonsense i'm spouting. but hey. ya never know.

― elmo argonaut (allocryptic), Friday, 9 June 2006 18:06 (nineteen years ago)

of course you never know, you've just thrown out a reasonable but completely unfalsifiable hypothesis describing the nature of HUMINT.

― TOMBOT (TOMBOT), Friday, 9 June 2006 18:12 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2006/06/09/BL2006060900448.html fourth page:

"Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, barely forty and barely literate, a Bedouin from the Bani Hassan tribe, was until recently almost unknown outside his native Jordan. Then, on February 5, 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell catapulted him onto the world stage. In his address to the United Nations making the case for war in Iraq, Powell identified al-Zarqawi--mistakenly, as it turned out--as the crucial link between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein's regime. Since then, al-Zarqawi has become a leading figure in the insurgency in Iraq--and in November of last year, he also brought his jihadist revolution back home, as the architect of three lethal hotel bombings in Amman. His notoriety has grown with every atrocity he perpetrates, yet Western and Middle Eastern intelligence officials remain bedeviled by a simple question: Who is he? Is he al-Qaeda's point man in Iraq, as the Bush administration has argued repeatedly? Or is he, as a retired Israeli intelligence official told me not long ago, a staunch rival of bin Laden's, whose importance the United States has exaggerated in order to validate a link between al-Qaeda and pre-war Iraq, and to put a non-Iraqi face on a complex insurgency?"

― lord pooperton (ex machina), Friday, 9 June 2006 18:38 (nineteen years ago)

Not entirely about al Zarqawi -- although he figures in the first part of it because of the Powell pre-war speech to the UN -- on how information on terrorists and alleged miscreants is misused or simply made up for various political purposes, from an inside perspective.

http://www.dickdestiny.com/blog/2006/06/annals-of-terrorism-abandon-all.html

― Urnst Kouch (Urnst Kouch), Friday, 9 June 2006 23:51 (nineteen years ago)

CNN ran a news teaser showing Zarqawi, bin Laden, and Zawahiri, with the voiceover tagline "One down, two to go."

HAHAHAHAHA

As my s.o. (who is Israeli) pointed out, Israel has been killing Hamas leaders for years and it doesn't seem to do any good.

As she also pointed out, would killing the C.E.O. of an American corporation significantly damage its earnings?

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 04:06 (nineteen years ago)

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