Zarqawi dead - confirmed

[monster]

It's on ABC late-night right now, said he was killed in a bombing.<br><br>They said they'd stay with the story all night. <br><br>It's weird though, I can't find anything on the web yet. Not even the ABC website. <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=monster@rigorousintuition>monster</A> at: 6/8/06 2:11 am<br></i>

[Et in Arcadia ego]

Some dumbdumb programmer must have hit the re-run button on accident.. <p></p><i></i>

[stickdog99]

<!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://www.hotmanila.ph/images/black_knight.jpg"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END--><br><br>It's merely a flesh wound! <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=stickdog99>stickdog99</A> at: 6/8/06 2:37 am<br></i>

[stickdog99]

<!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5058304.stm">news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middl...058304.stm</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--> <p></p><i></i>

[monster]

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The al Qaeda leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was killed in a U.S. air attack in Baghdad, ABC news reported on Thursday.<br><br>"Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been killed in Baghdad during a bombing raid," ABC said.<br><br>A Pentagon press officer could not immediately confirm the report.<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=newsOne&storyID=2006-06-08T072917Z_01_N08283332_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-ZARQAWI.xml">today.reuters.com/news/ne...ARQAWI.xml</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--> <p></p><i></i>

[stickdog99]

<!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://planetsave.com/ps_mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7301&Itemid=70">planetsave.com/ps_mambo/i...&Itemid=70</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>"Zarqawi is ... a myth that America has created to put a face to the terrorism it wants to stoke in this country to justify its continued presence," Sheik Amer al-Husseini, a top aide to radical Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, told The Associated Press in a recent interview.<br><br>"If there was no more terrorism in Iraq, there would be no reason for the United States to remain ... making it harder for them to ... force this constitution on Iraqis," said al-Husseini. <p></p><i></i>

[stickdog99]

<!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-06-08T073227Z_01_GEO825572_RTRUKOC_0_UK-IRAQ-ZARQAWI.xml">today.reuters.co.uk/news/...ARQAWI.xml</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Key Zarqawi aide captured<br>Thu Jun 8, 2006 8:33 AM BST13<br><br>BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A senior aide of al Qaeda leader in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been captured in Iraq with crucial information on Zarqawi and his organisation, an Iraqi government source said.<br><br>The source did not confirm a report on Iraqi state television that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki would soon announce that Zarqawi was dead.</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br><br>Did the Iraqis "kill off" Zarqawi without the United States' permission? <p></p><i></i>

[stickdog99]

To answer my own question, it doesn't appear so. The US appears to sanctioning this report:<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2052107&page=1">abcnews.go.com/Internatio...107&page=1</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>Wow. Interesting time to play this card. <p></p><i></i>

[Sepka]

I rejoice!<br><br>-Sepka the Space Weasel <p></p><i></i>

[stickdog99]

Check out this article from 23 hours ago:<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htmurph/articles/20060607.aspx">www.strategypage.com/htmw...60607.aspx</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>Zarqawi Scheduled for Martyrdom<br><br>June 7, 2006: The relationship between terrorist leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi and and the mainline al Qaeda leadership continues to deteriorate. Zarqawi's recent audio messages have not only attacked the U.S. and the Shia-dominated government in Iraq, but also Iran. He's even claiming that the U.S., Iran, and Shia in general, are in cahoots to destroy Islam. He has also called for continued attacks against Shia. <br><br>Except for his verbal attacks on the U.S. and the Iraqi government, he is almost totally distanced himself from the central leadership. Other al Qaeda leaders have been trying to down play anti-Iranian and anti-Shia rhetoric, and have been strongly discouraging attacks on civilians. <br><br>Given that Zarqawi has become a loose cannon and that his actions are handicapping Al Qaeda's efforts, it seems reasonable to expect that an accident may befall him at some point in the near future. If handled right it can be made to look like he went out in a blaze of glory fighting American troops or that he was foully murdered. Either way, al Qaeda gets rid of a problem and gains another "martyr." <p></p><i></i>

[stickdog99]

OK, I guess I haven't been keeping up with this legend.<br><br>This explains the situation better:<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5862098,00.html">www.guardian.co.uk/worldl...98,00.html</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>Al-Zarqawi appeared to be aiming at a wider audience, seeking to rally Sunni radicals by tapping into mistrust of Shiites and non-Arab Shiite Iran.<br><br>He denounced Shiites across the Mideast, saying they were "the same as Jews, with secret meetings" and loyalty to a "mother country" — Israel for the Jews, Iran for the Shiites.<br><br>He called the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah the "enemy of Sunnis" and accused it of working to protect Israel from Lebanon-based Palestinian guerrillas.<br><br>Hezbollah gained widespread popularity among both Sunnis and Shiites for its fight against Israel. But its support at home has waned amid resentment by anti-Syrian Lebanese for its alliance with Damascus and Tehran. <p></p><i></i>

[Gouda]

Also from yesterday, June 7th: <br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Senators_write_Bush_after_classified_Iraq_0607.html">www.rawstory.com/news/200..._0607.html</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>President Bush has cancelled a classified briefing on the situation in Iraq, according to a letter from four Democratic senators obtained by RAW STORY.<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>US Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> had been set to brief Senators today. Democratic aides tell RAW STORY that the meeting, set to address "all members," was cancelled abruptly yesterday. Requests for a briefing by another administration official went unanswered.<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--> Letter from leading Dems to the Resident:<br><br><!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>June 7, 2006<br><br>The President<br>The White House<br>Washington, D.C. 20500<br><br>Dear Mr. President:<br><br>Today the Senate was expecting to receive a classified briefing from <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Ambassador Khalilzad</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> on recent developments in Iraq. Yesterday, however, we learned that Ambassador Khalilzad was not available to conduct this briefing and the Administration was unwilling to make other officials available to brief in his place. ...<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--> <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://rawstory.com/showoutarticle.php?src=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/08/AR2006060800114_pf.html">Today:</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> <!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Maliki, flanked by U.S. Gen. George Casey, who commands U.S. troops in Iraq, and <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->, announced at a hastily called news conference: ''Today Zarqawi is defeated.''<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--> <p></p><i></i>

[stickdog99]

<!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/06/08/iraq.zarqawius/">www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/me...zarqawius/</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>Scars, fingerprints and facial recognition were used to identify him.<br><br>Umm, how did we know all about his scar patterns and fingerprints. And, if we actually had this information, why all the false reports about his previous captures and deaths?<br><br>Just wondering ... <p></p><i></i>

[stickdog99]

It's also interesting how few of Zarqawi's obits (exactly zero so far, according to google news) mention the name Nick Berg. <p></p><i></i>

[stickdog99]

That letter from the Democrats is VERY interesting.<br><br>Other than Bradblog, the only mention I can find about it in the news is a Democratic Party press release:<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=67120">releases.usnewswire.com/G...p?id=67120</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--> <p></p><i></i>