Marking the death of al Zarqawi

Marking al Zarqawi

According to the reports, the leader(?) of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al Zarqawi is dead. This is the second time that the media has reported his death. Back in November of 2005 al Zarqawi was reported to have been killed in Mosul. It is being reported that the are able to identify al Zarqawi's remains by scars and finger prints. You figure that al Zarqawi would be easy to identify as the guy with the surgically amputated leg. Of course, there is plenty of conflicting information about the actual role of al Zarqawi and his leadership role in Iraq. In April of this year the Telegraph of India ran the story Ruthless Zarqawi kicked out.

Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the most feared commander in the Iraqi insurgency, may have been forced to surrender his leadership by rival groups, angered by his tactics and the interference of foreign fighters in the Iraqi conflict.

Of course there is the story run by the Washington Times, Zarqawi replaced as al Qaeda chief in Iraq addressing the issue as to the role al Zarqawi plays.

Jordanian-born al Qaeda militant Abu Musab Zarqawi has been replaced as head of the terrorist organization in Iraq in a bid to put an Iraqi figure at the head of the group's struggle, said a leading Islamist.

And then there are the comments made by Michael Berg, the father of Nick Berg who was a victim of al Zarqawi.

"I'm sorry when any human being dies...and I feel bad for that. His death will reignite yet another wave of revenge. It's an endless cycle as long as people use violence to fight violence...When Nick was killed I felt that I had nothing left to lose...I was not a risk-taking person, but I've done things that have endangered me. I have beenshot at...Every time we kill an Iraqi...we are creating a large number of people who are going to want vengeance. When are we ever gonna learn that that doesn't work?

Does the death of al Zarqawi provide the Bush administration with an opportuntity to draw down the numbers of US soldiers serving in Iraq? Now that al Qaeda has been dealt "a severe blow" surely the Iraqi military would be able to fend itself from becoming a safe haven for terrorists. (Particularly when one considers the recent events in Somalia.) It is clear that the civil war, sectarian violence will continue in Iraq with or without the US military presence. Or the presence of al Zarqawi for that matter.


Abu Musab al Zarqawi, al Zarqawi, al Qaeda, Iraq, Mosul, Nick Berg, Michael Berg, Bush, civil war, Somalia