al Zarqawi Killed by Airstrike North of Baghdad
Quoting from the official Centcom press release:
Title: COALITION FORCES KILL ABU MUSAB AL-ZARQAWI
Release Date: 6/8/2006
Release Number: 06-06-08P
Description: BAGHDAD, Iraq – Gen. George W. Casey Jr., Multi-National Force-Iraq Commanding General, announced the death of al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi in the following statement during a press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad June 8:
“Ladies and Gentlemen, Coalition Forces killed al-Qaida terrorist leader Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi and one of his key lieutenants, spiritual advisor Sheik Abd-Al-Rahman, yesterday, June 7, at 6:15 p.m. in an air strike against an identified, isolated safe house.
“Tips and intelligence from Iraqi senior leaders from his network led forces to al-Zarqawi and some of his associates who were conducting a meeting approximately eight kilometers north of Baqubah when the air strike was launched.
“Iraqi police were first on the scene after the air strike, and elements of Multi-National Division North, arrived shortly thereafter. Coalition Forces were able to identify al-Zarqawi by fingerprint verification, facial recognition and known scars.
Al-Zarqawi and al-Qaida in Iraq have conducted terrorist activities against the Iraqi people for years in attempts to undermine the Iraqi national government and Coalition efforts to rebuild and stabilize Iraq. He is known to be responsible for the deaths of thousands of Iraqis. Al-Zarqawi’s death is a significant blow to al-Qaida and another step toward defeating terrorism in Iraq.”
As far as the blogosphere goes, it was Caltechgirl who first blogged the story coming out of ABC News:
According to ABC news, who is the ONLY one on the story right now….
Zarqawi is TOAST.
But there seems to be some debate as to which news agency, ABC News or the BBC, first broke the story:
ABC News:
Iraq’s Al Qaeda Leader Killed in Air Raid
Timestamp: Thursday, 8th June 2006 at 05:23:31
BBC News:
Zarqawi killed in Iraq air raid
Timestamp: Thursday, 8 June 2006, 11:23 GMT
Assuming 5:23:31 is based on 24-hour EST, it translates to 09:23:31, June 8, 2006 GMT? In any case, this is insignificant. The important thing is al Zarqawi, Cindy Sheehan’s freedom fighter, is dead.
Meanwhile, Hollywood leftists, via the Hollywood Liberal, continue to undermine America’s war against Islamo-fascism in a review of the film: The Road to Guantanamo…
Asif is wounded in the bombing, and the others find him covered with blood. He and one of his friends are taken on one truck while the third is split apart from the others. The Northern Alliance soldiers force him and hundreds more people into the back of a metal truck trailer, they keep forcing more and more of them on, until they are crushed together, and the doors of the truck are then closed.
These people are off in their own little world; so out of touch with the American people. It’s no wonder Hollywood films continue to take a hit at the box office. I guess these elitists should be happy that Zarqawi is dead and won’t be sent for a little R&R at Guantanamo, right?
Not surprisingly, Nickle (another moonbat) over at DailyKos, has found a way to put a negative spin on today’s clear victory for American and Iraqi forces:
Some guy on ABC is saying this is a “nail in the coffin of Al Queda.” Bull shit. This guy was a face, a name, a few menacing lines about impending doom to us. The victory doesn’t lie in removing this man, nor any other true terrorists in Iraq. Instead victory is in making a peaceful nation in a land fractured by ethnicity and then war.
Where is Osama? Where are the batillions of trained Iraqis? Doesn’t matter, we got this guy, right? We wrote a 25 million check as a reward, and get a new headline to bump off Haditha.
Guess what Nickle? Here’s a heroic example of the well-trained Iraqi forces.
My favorite bloggers tracking developments:
Captain’s Quarters:
Zarqawi Dead In Coalition Air Strike
Hammorabi (Iraqi blog):
Breaking News: Al-Zarqawi Killed
Sabbah (Jordanian born blogger):
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi killed by US-Jordanian forces
SandMonkey (Egyption born blogger):
Zarqawi is Dead…
The Jawa Report:
Must Cite ABC News On The T.V., Then Cite Caltechgirl Then Cite The Jawa Report
Mary Katharine Ham at hughhewitt.com:
Zarqawi Killed
BlackFive:
One Down…
Gateway Pundit:
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is Dead!
Michelle Malkin:
Zarqawi has Been Killed (with Video)
Background Info on the Real Freedom Fighters Responsible for Tracking Down al Zarqawi:
Real freedom fighters, Task Force 145, made up of some of the most elite U.S. troops, including Delta Force and SEAL Team 6 had one goal; to hunt down Abu Musab al Zarqawi, Iraq’s most wanted man, and destroying his al-Qaida in Iraq organization.
Army Times:
SpecOps unit nearly nabs Zarqawi
Bill Roggio:
Zarqawi and Task Force 145
William M. Arkin:
Inside the Hunt for al-Zarqawi