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Iraq terror leader al-Zarqawi killed

BY JOSEPH MALLIA | Newsday Staff Writer

June 9, 2006

When bombs from two F-16 fighter jets destroyed an isolated house in an orange grove northeast of Baghdad Wednesday night, they cut down the elusive leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

But in a signal that the Iraqi insurgency al-Zarqawi helped to lead is still intact, five bombings in Iraq tolled a quick counterpoint to news of the U.S. air strike. The bombings left at least 40 people dead and dozens wounded.

For U.S. officials and their Iraqi government allies, though, the death of al-Zarqawi was a moment for tempered hope and stern admonitions to the enemy.

"Those who disrupt the course of life, like Zarqawi, will have a tragic end," Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said, warning that "whenever there is a new Zarqawi, we will kill him."

Jordan-born al-Zarqawi, 39, was blamed for suicide bombings, beheadings and devising some of the most devastating attacks by insurgents. He swore allegiance in 2004 to Osama bin Laden.

The F-16's two 500-pound bombs -- laser-guided GBU-12 and satellite-guided GBU-38s -- also eliminated al-Zarqawi's spiritual adviser, Abu Abdul-Rahman, and four others, including a woman and a child.

In Washington, a restrained President George W. Bush called al-Zarqawi's death "a severe blow to al-Qaida" and "an opportunity for Iraq's new government to turn the tide in this struggle."

The F-16 strike gave the president a badly needed boost in Iraq as he faces faltering American confidence in his handling of the war, and insistent calls for a U.S. military withdrawal.

Al-Maliki also celebrated another crucial development for the nascent Iraqi government -- parliamentary approval of his choices for defense, interior and security ministers. That approval followed three weeks of disagreement among Shia, Sunni and Kurd factions.

Iraqi Army Gen. Abdul Qadir Muhammed Jasim al-Mifarji, a Sunni Arab who is not affiliated with any Sunni party, now heads the defense ministry; Jawad al-Bolani, a Shia, is the interior minister, and Sherwan al-Waily, also a Shia, leads the state ministry of national security.

The three, who pledged to cooperate in the interests of all Iraqis, are crucial to U.S. military plans to shift security duties to Iraqi forces within 18 months, opening the way for the eventual withdrawal of American-led troops.

The ministers now face a key task -- curbing rampant violence, such as yesterday's five bombings.

The attacks included one in the Amin market area in central Baghdad, where two car bombs killed 15 people and injured dozens, police said. Earlier, a car bomb in north Baghdad killed six and injured 15, police said. Two bombs also hit a market and a police patrol in separate morning attacks in Baghdad, killing at least 19 people and wounding more than 40. U.S. officials said an increase in bombings was to be expected as an insurgency tactic to demonstrate renewed purpose despite al-Zarqawi's death.

A photograph of a dead al-Zarqawi was displayed at a Baghdad news conference, and officials said fingerprints, tattoos and scars all helped confirm his identity.

But al-Qaida in Iraq raised doubts about the fate of Abdul-Rahman. The group issued a Web statement confirming al-Zarqawi's death, but the statement purportedly was signed by Abdul-Rahman, a detail perhaps meant to spread confusion about whether he remained alive.

However, Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, spokesman for the Multinational Force in Iraq, and the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. George Casey, told reporters Abdul-Rahman was among the dead. Air Force Lt. Gen. Gary North, who commands U.S. and coalition air operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, said DNA tests would confirm the identity within days.

It was Abdul-Rahman who unwittingly led American forces to al-Zarqawi. Their pursuit ended Wednesday evening when the bombs flattened the modest, two-story house outside Baqouba, northeast of Baghdad, U.S. officials said.

U.S. and Iraqi forces had homed in on their target over two weeks, finally tracking Abdul-Rahman to al-Zarqawi's door, a success that came after repeated near-misses in the past three years.

The Iraqi prime minister said he would honor the $25-million bounty the United States had placed on the head of al-Zarqawi, telling al-Arabiya television, "We will meet our promise."

This story was supplemented with wire service reports.