NationStates Jolt Archive

Al-Zarqawi May Be Among Dead in Iraq Fight (http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/default.jsp?floc=ns-tos-news-h-01)

Al-Zarqawi May Be Among Dead in Iraq Fight

By ROBERT H. REID

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - U.S. forces sealed off a house in the northern city of Mosul where eight suspected al-Qaida members died in a gunfight - some by their own hand to avoid capture. A U.S. official said Sunday that efforts were under way to determine if terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was among the dead.

If true then this is most definitely good news. Now I don't know if it is true or not and the article did say that they don't know but they are investigating in whether or not Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was dead after a firefight in Mosul.

I hope that this is true because really, that guy needed to go. Yes someone will probably take his place but it wouldn't be of the same caliber as Zarqawi.

What are your thoughts.

Dunno. These kind of rumors are common.

That's old news. And besides, the US Officials are already calling back (http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticleSearch.aspx?storyID=21823+21-Nov-2005+RTRS&srch=zarqawi) the hounds.

White House spokesman Trent Duffy, traveling with President George W. Bush in Asia, said it was "highly unlikely and not credible" that Zarqawi was among the dead in Mosul.

Al-Zarqawi was Bush's main reason for going into Iraq. He claimed that Zarqawi was Saddam's link to Al-Qaeda. Of course, Al-Zarqawi was fighting alongside the Kurdish rebels against the Hussein regime, but we can ignore that little piece of information. I hope Al-Zarqawi isn't dead because it wouldn't be ironic enough if he were.

Until I see a dead body, no. There is enough false news with US claiming they were going to get Osama.

Hasn't Al-Zarqawi may have been dead a half dozen different times since the war began? He is apparently undead - some one call Bruce Campbell.

If Al-Zarqawi is dead, it would actually be a victory for the insurgency.

First, there is the 'Al-Qaeda' faction, which would hail him as a martyr for all to to be measured by, and for people to better.

Second, there is Bin Laden and his second in command, which rumours say are really anxious about Al-Zarqawi because he is sanctioning the blowing up of Iraqis on a indiscriminate scale which Bin Laden thinks may alienate any al-qaeda sympathisers. Essentialy, Al-Zarqawi is a bit of a rogue agent.

Thirdly, there is the Iraq Resistance, as in not only former Baathists, but also those who probably fought against Saddam as well but whose actions were not reported because of the control Saddam had over the media, people who have fought Saddam and now fight the US-led occupation and Iraqi 'government' as not in keeping as what direction they would like to see Iraq prosper.

It has been reported in the past that various Iraqi Resistance groups want Al-Zarqawi's head for his group's attacks on Iraqis, which harm their core base of support, one group calling him 'A shadow across Iraq'.

And of course fourthly, there is the Shia Milita who seem to be Iranian backed, the Shias are often targeted by Al-Zarqawi because he sees them as not being muslims for being Shia, a branch of Islam, and not Sunni, another branch of Islam.

If Al-Zarqawi is dead, the Shia Militia will not care, The Iraqi Resistance will cheer, and 'Al-Qaeda' will have a martyr to look up to and encourage further attacks.

In view of these observations, leaving Al-Zarqawi alive will harm the insurgency more than if he is dead.