U.S. airstrike kills al-Zarqawi

U.S. airstrike kills al-Zarqawi
Death was culmination of two-week manhunt.

Published Thursday, June 8, 2006

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, whose bloody campaign of beheadings and suicide bombings made him the most-wanted terrorist in Iraq, was killed when U.S. warplanes dropped 500-pound bombs on his isolated safe house, officials said today. His death was a long-sought victory in the war in Iraq.

The targeted airstrike yesterday evening was the culmination of a two-weeklong hunt for al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq. Tips from senior militants led U.S. forces to follow al-Zarqawi’s spiritual adviser to the safe house, 30 miles outside Baghdad, for a meeting with the terror leader. The adviser, Sheik Abdul Rahman, was among seven aides also killed.

Fingerprints, tattoos and scars helped U.S. troops identify al-Zarqawi’s body, White House spokesman Tony Snow said. The U.S. military released a picture of al-Zarqawi’s face after the airstrike, with his eyes closed and spots of blood behind him, an image reminiscent of photos of Saddam Hussein’s slain sons from the early days of the war.

"Al-Zarqawi was eliminated," Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said.

President George W. Bush, who learned of the deadly airstrike yesterday afternoon, hailed the killing as "a severe blow to al-Qaida, and it is a significant victory in the war on terror." But, he cautioned, "we have tough days ahead of us in Iraq that will require the continuing patience of the American people."

Around the time news reports announced al-Zarqawi’s death, two bombs hit a market and a police patrol in Baghdad, killing at least 19 people and wounding more than 40. Police differed on whether the bombs struck shortly before or after the 10:30 a.m. news. Later, a parked car bomb exploded in north Baghdad, killing six people and wounding 15.

Al-Qaida in Iraq vowed to continue its "holy war," according to a statement posted on a Web site.

Today brought two major events for Iraq’s new leadership: Shortly after news of al-Zarqawi’s death, Parliament approved candidates for ministers in charge of Iraq’s army and police, ending a political stalemate between Shiite and Sunni Arab factions.

The new ministers are seen as key to Iraq’s taking control of its deteriorating security, and - with al-Zarqawi’s death - some Iraqi citizens expressed hope for an end to sectarian bloodshed.

"If it’s true al-Zarqawi was killed, that will be a big happiness for all the Iraqis," said Thamir Abdulhussein, a college student in Baghdad. "He was behind all the killings of Sunni and Shiites. Iraqis should now move toward reconciliation."

Not since the 2003 capture of Saddam in an underground bunker has the war seen the downfall of such an iconic figure.

The Jordanian-born terrorist, 39, was Iraq’s most-wanted militant and nearly as notorious as Osama bin Laden, to whom he swore allegiance in 2004. The United States put a $25 million bounty on his head, the same as bin Laden. Al-Maliki told al-Arabiya television the bounty would be honored, saying, "We will meet our promise."

As the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, al-Zarqawi oversaw a wave of kidnappings of foreigners and the killings of at least a dozen, including three Americans. He personally is believed to have beheaded two Americans - Nicholas Berg of West Chester, Pa., and Eugene Armstrong, formerly of Hillsdale, Mich. - prompting supporters to dub him "the slaughtering sheik."