MOST WANTED INSURGENT LEADER KILLED IN AIR-STRIKE
AL-ZARQAWI, LEADER OF 'AL-QAEDA IN IRAQ' TERROR GROUP, CONFIRMED KILLED BY IRAQ GOV'T, OWN GROUP
8 June 2006

Reports from Baghdad suggest Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed by a US airstrike on 7 June 2006. The official announcement was made by Iraq's prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, and was later confirmed by US Gen. Casey. The White House issued a statement of cautious relief, saying the removal of Zarqawi could be a moment of hope for Iraq, but will not end the ongoing sectarian and insurgent violence.

A massive carbomb attack in 2003 on UN headquarters in Baghdad, allegedly engineered by Zarqawi and his organization, signalled the beginning of a brutal campaign of violence against the US-led occupation of Iraq. Zarqawi's group and followers are thought to be responsible for the deaths of literally thousands of Iraqi civilians, and dozens of US troops and international civilians, though direct responsibility is difficult to assign for many attacks.

The US defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, told the press that his death is a blow to the "dark, sadistic and medieval vision of the future of beheadings, suicide bombings, and indiscriminate killings". UN Sec. Gen. says news is welcome, because "heinous" insurgent leader will not be able to "continue his work" of killing and terrorizing civilians.

As the insurgency fomented by Zarqawi's strategic attacks spread and gained momentum, Zarqawi began to target high-profile ethnic symbols, in hopes of inflaming sectarian violence. The bombing of the al-Askari mosque in Samarra —one of the holiest shrines in Shi'a Islam—, which devastated the ancient landmark, sparked weeks of severe inter-sectarian violence and revenge attacks across the country.

Since that bombing, the violence in Iraq has shifted from being primarily insurgency against the US presence and the interim government to an escalating series of attacks on civilian targets, based in apparent ethnic, sectarian or political ties. Former interim PM al-Allawi declared earlier this year that the violence had reached the level of full-scale civil war.

As news of the strike circled the globe, television aired images of the devastated area, various buildings made rubble. A local interviewed for television said he believed a family lived in the house and that there were no signs of insurgents. Others said they only knew the people there as refugees from another part of Iraq who were renting and trying to start a new life.

But news reports included images of Zarqawi's corpse, and the group he led, known as 'al-Qaeda in Iraq' acknowledged the death of its leader, in a statement published online, according to PBS NewsHour. The statement proclaimed Zarqawi's status as a martyr for the insurgent cause. But even prominent jihadist figures had criticized his use of indiscriminate killing of muslim civilians.

As if in response to the severe blow suffered by the radical insurgency, dozens of people were killed by carbombs in Baghdad in the hours after the announcement was made that Zarqawi had been killed. It remains unclear what level of direct influence Zarqawi really had over the Sunni elements of the insurgent and sectarian violence. [s]

• USA Today: "Iraqis relieved by news of Zarqawi's death"
• FT: "Bush welcomes news but warns of further violence"

UPDATE:
ZARQAWI SURVIVED ATTACK, DIED SOON AFTER FROM INJURIES
9 June 2006

US General Caldwell told the press today that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi survived the immediate bombing attack, and was found alive by Iraqi soldiers when they arrived on the scene. He was placed on a gurney and reportedly attempted to roll off gurney in effort to escape capture, but was too weak. He died before US forces could interrogate him. [s]

• Globe & Mail: "Al-Zarqawi alive when Iraqi forces reached him"