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Iraq official: al-Zarqawi wounded

BY MOHAMAD BAZZI | MIDDLE EAST CORRESPONDENT

May 27, 2005

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Islamic militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been badly wounded and his lieutenants are engaged in a power struggle over who would replace him if he dies, according to a senior Iraqi security official.

The two top contenders to succeed the Jordanian-born al-Zarqawi are Iraqis who served as military officers in Saddam Hussein's regime, said the official, who asked not to be named. If one of these men ascended to the leadership of al-Zarqawi's group, al-Qaida in Iraq, it would illustrate that the different strands of the Iraqi insurgency are melding together.

For months, some Iraqi security officials have argued that the insurgency is being driven more by former Baathists and members of Hussein's security services than by foreign Islamic militants such as al-Zarqawi. The Iraqi assessment contradicts that of many U.S. officials, who have focused heavily on al-Zarqawi.

For the first time Thursday, top Iraqi officials confirmed that al-Zarqawi had been wounded. "We are not sure whether he is dead or not, but we are sure that he is injured," Interior Minister Bayan Jabr told reporters in Baghdad.

Jabr and Defense Minister Saadoun al-Duleimi would not say where, when and how seriously the militant had been wounded. But the security official said al-Zarqawi sustained "severe injuries" during a recent U.S. offensive near the Iraqi-Syrian border.

The official said al-Zarqawi was likely a main target of the U.S. attack, dubbed Operation Matador, which lasted May 8-15 and focused on a mainly Sunni Muslim region around Qaim. On Tuesday, a Web site known as a clearinghouse for Islamic militants posted a statement saying al-Zarqawi had been wounded and urging Muslims to pray for his recovery.

"That Internet statement was a first step toward announcing his eventual death," said the Iraqi official.

Already, several of al-Zarqawi's deputies are jockeying to replace him, according to the official and reports in the Arabic press. The pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat reported Thursday that at least five associates were competing to lead al-Qaida in Iraq.

The paper said the two leading contenders are known by the noms de guerre Abu Maysara al-Iraqi and Abu al-Dardaa al-Iraqi. Abu Maysara is the propaganda chief of al-Qaida in Iraq, and he frequently signs Internet statements in the group's name. Abu al-Dardaa is the group's top military commander in Baghdad and surrounding areas.

The official said the two men began developing Islamic leanings during Hussein's "faith campaign" in the mid-1990s, which was intended to promote religious fervor in Iraqi society. The men also trained special forces units in the Iraqi military, according to the official.

In a sign of the competition within al-Zarqawi's group, the Web site that had announced his injury on Tuesday posted two contradictory statements Thursday about whether a deputy had been appointed to lead the group in his absence. The first posting said a Saudi militant named Abu Hafs al-Gerni would take control until al-Zarqawi's recovery. A few hours later, the site posted a statement signed by Abu Maysara denying that anyone had been appointed.

Al-Zarqawi, 37, has claimed responsibility -- or has been blamed by U.S. and Iraqi officials -- for a majority of the bloodiest suicide bombings, kidnappings and beheadings of foreigners in the past year. U.S. officials say al-Zarqawi is masterminding a terror network in Iraq at the behest of Osama bin Laden.

In July, U.S. officials raised the reward for information leading to al-Zarqawi's arrest or killing to $25 million, equal to the bounty on bin Laden's head. To some Iraqis, the U.S. focus on al-Zarqawi is part of a political strategy to portray the insurgency as driven by foreign militants.

Al-Zarqawi is wanted in Jordan in the killing of a U.S. diplomat and a foiled plot to bomb government buildings. He is believed to have slipped into Iraq in late 2001 or early 2002, possibly after having escaped from the U.S. bombing of Afghanistan. Al-Zarqawi reportedly worked with a group of militant Kurds in northern Iraq, an area that was outside Hussein's control.

Iraqi and U.S. forces have come close to capturing al-Zarqawi at least twice. The latest incident was on Feb. 20, when U.S. forces received a tip that al-Zarqawi was traveling to the city of Ramadi. Al-Zarqawi escaped, but U.S. troops captured his driver and one of his key lieutenants. They also found al-Zarqawi's laptop, which contained photos of him and information about his associates.