Is al-Zarqawi Dead?
With the hat tip to Academic Elephant and AJ Strata, there are unconfirmed (UNCONFIRMED, mind you) reports that one of the big dog bad guys may have gone to meet his maker:
US forces and forensic experts are examining the bodies of eight high-ranking al Qaeda leaders in Mosul to find out if their chief Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is among them.
A sample of his DNA is in American possession for a match-up.
The bodies they are trying to identify are of 7 men and one woman, who blew themselves up Sunday, Nov. 20, after their hideout in northern Iraq was under siege by a large US force, backed by tanks and helicopters. The bodies are burned black and unrecognizable. Four Iraqi security officers were killed and 10 injured in the operation.
This would be a huge win and a giant morale boost for U.S. troops. Will it stop the insurgency? Of course not, no more than killing a drug kingpin stops cocaine shipments (and remember, all indications are that the insurgency is primarily fueled by native Sunnis, with a big assist from smaller numbers of foreign fighters who are useful because they are much more prone to hasten their date with Allah)…but all the same, it would be welcome news indeed, should confirmation be forthcoming…
UPDATE 3:47 p.m.: From the Associated Press:
In Washington, a U.S. counterterrorism official said the identities of the suspected al-Qaida members was unknown. When asked if they could include terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the official replied: “There are efforts under way to determine if he was killed.”The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.
UPDATE 4:33 p.m.: OSM has started a roundup…as has Don Surber…
UPDATE 11:10 p.m.: Not a hopeful sign:
…[A] White House spokesman said it was “highly unlikely” the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq was dead.
Has Zarqawi been killed?
Let’s hope this report can be confirmed later as true:
The Elaph Arab media website reported on Sunday that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the head of the al-Qaida in Iraq terror group, may have been killed in Iraq on Sunday afternoon when eight terrori…
al-Zarqawi sucks as bad as the Jets
Actually, he sucks more, the Jets at least have two wins, while big Z keeps losing week in and week out.
The Jerusalem Post reports that he “may have been killed in Iraq on Sunday afternoon when eight terrorists blew themselves up in the northern …
This would almost be a shame. Between the massive rallies against him in his native Jordan, and his family very publicly disowning him, he’s been looking more and more like a liability to the cause.
Good News From Al-Qaeda?
Decision ‘08 points out that this is like killing a Colombian druglord. Interesting. Doesn’t end the war but slows the flow of blood, doesn’t it?
Al Zarqawi Meets God
Reports are out that Zarqawi may have been killed in an explosion near Mosul:
The Elaph Arab media website reported on Sunday that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the head of the al-Qaida in Iraq terror group, may have been killed in Iraq on Sunday afternoon w…
Sure hope it is true!
Did al-Zarqawi get his due?
… Amazingly enough, al-AP has even seen fit to mention that one of their heroes may not be around any more: Al-Zarqawi May Be Among Dead in Iraq Fight. Watch for an admiring obit in The New York Times any day now.