Quote :

"Airstrike kills terror leader al-Zarqawi in Iraq U.S. hails attack on 'godfather of sectarian killing' Thursday, June 8, 2006; Posted: 5:32 a.m. EDT (09:32 GMT) Terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi killed (6:27) BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the most wanted man in Iraq, was killed in a coalition airstrike near Baquba, jubilant U.S. and Iraqi authorities announced Thursday. The 3-year-old insurgency has "lost its leader," Gen. George Casey, the U.S. military commander in Iraq, told reporters. Details are still emerging of the operation against the self-proclaimed leader of al Qaeda in Iraq who pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden. But the killing of al-Zarqawi, who had a $25 million bounty on his head, is a major coup for the embattled coalition forces. "Today is a good day," U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad told a news conference soon after cheers and applause broke out when Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced: "Zarqawi has been killed." Khalilzad called al-Zarqawi "the godfather of sectarian killing and terror in Iraq" -- said the death "marks a great success for Iraq and the global war on terror." "His organization has been responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians in Iraq and abroad." In London, British Prime Minister Tony Blair called al-Zarqawi's death "a very important moment in Iraq. A blow for al Qaeda in Iraq is a blow for al Qaeda everywhere." Casey said al-Zarqawi and a key lieutenant, spiritual adviser Sheik Abd-Al-Rahman, were at an isolated safe house outside Baquba at 6:15 p.m. (10:15 a.m. ET) on Wednesday. "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 Baquba when the airstrike was launched," he said. Baquba is a volatile area northeast of Baghdad in Diyala province, a mixed Shiite-Sunni jurisdiction. There have been many roadside bombings and shootings throughout the province and within the week, severed heads were found in fruit boxes there. "Iraqi police were first on the scene after the air strike, and elements of Multi-National Division North, arrived shortly thereafter," Casey said. "We have been able to identify al-Zarqawi by fingerprint verification, facial recognition and known scars." In addition to Zarqawi and the spiritual adviser, seven others died in the attack. Casey wouldn't provide many details about the action but said that "all of these operations are the result of a long, painstaking process where tips and intelligence are received, processed and checked out." This particular operation had been in the works for a couple of weeks, leading to the location of the house in a wooded area and the meeting, he said. Al-Maliki indicated that the strike on al-Zarqawi was the "result of cooperation" with ordinary Iraqis, saying that authorities many times have asked the citizenry to provide information. "This is a message to all those who take violence as a path." Khalilzad said the demise of al-Zarqawi won't end the violence in Iraq, but it is "an important step in the right direction." CNN's Jamie McIntyre contributed to this report."

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/06/08/iraq.al.zarqawi/index.html


Looks like the Pubs just found their cash cow that I am sure they will milk to its fullest extent from now until November. Look for a jump in W's poll numbers.

I would like to see this as a huge benefit most to the civilians in Iraq and that Al-Qaeda will be severely threatened by his demise.

[Edited on June 8, 2006 at 6:08 AM. Reason : .]

6/8/2006 6:03:50 AM

chit chat winz!!!

http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=413703

but obviously this belongs here or in the lounge

[Edited on June 8, 2006 at 6:52 AM. Reason : ]

6/8/2006 6:51:15 AM

^^ Are you saying this isn't a good thing for the people in Iraq and our troops? Come on... this is great news. And if the president's poll numbers go up, I think it's rightly so. This is actually progress. The president has been graded on progress (or non-progress) in Iraq in the polls (30% approval) so if he gets a jump in the polls, it's warranted.

6/8/2006 7:19:34 AM

Nothing like TWW. Can't even report on good news in Iraq without taking the requisite jab at the president and the republican party.

That's really the republican cash cow. The opposition is so focused on unwarranted poll number increases and complaining about how the republicans use good news to further their cause that they completely miss the opportunity to connect with the American people by focusing on issues they care about, like exploding health care and energy costs. Throw in a healthy "republicans are idiots" (read: you just called a good percentage of registered voters idiots) every once and a while and you all but guarantee more of the same old crap come next election.

[/threadjack]

6/8/2006 7:32:00 AM

WE CAN PULL OUT OF IRAQ NOW!

6/8/2006 8:46:24 AM

One of the Yahoo sources said that Jordanian intelligence agencies helped tip off the US as to Zarqawi's wherabouts for the raid.

6/8/2006 8:54:24 AM

^^guess you're joking so no comment. Major victory!

[Edited on June 8, 2006 at 8:54 AM. Reason : .]

6/8/2006 8:54:34 AM

HE WAS KIDDING? OMG HOW COULD YOU TELL?

6/8/2006 9:12:03 AM

Quote :

"but obviously this belongs here or in the lounge "

b/c people in chit chat dont need to be informed
some of those fags never make it out of that forum

6/8/2006 9:22:49 AM

its wierd that the death of one man = "a major victory"

6/8/2006 9:23:51 AM

hooray martyrdom!!!

hey, serious question - if zarqawi had been in an american city, would we have dropped a ton of explosives just to kill that one man? Well, we killed 8 targets in total. No word on collateral damage.

I daresay we wouldn't drop a ton of explosives on a safehouse in montana. just, you know, for perspective.

and actually

Quote :

"Al-Zarqawi and seven aides, including spiritual adviser Sheik Abdul Rahman, were killed Wednesday evening in a remote area 30 miles northeast of Baghdad in the volatile province of Diyala, just east of the provincial capital of Baqouba, officials said."

how populated was this area? were any other homes destroyed? I'd imagine plenty were with that sort of blast.




last time we did anything even close was waco, and you see how that turned out - major scandal.

[Edited on June 8, 2006 at 9:28 AM. Reason : .]

[Edited on June 8, 2006 at 9:30 AM. Reason : .]

6/8/2006 9:27:25 AM

paging salisburyboy

6/8/2006 9:45:52 AM

Quote :

"its wierd that the death of one man = "a major victory""

Feeble attempts to downplay this event will fail. Eliminating an enemy leader is always a major victory. Targeting enemy leaders would be my main objective. Make them nervous about screwing around with our country. I'd let the Iranian prez know that we have a special satellite zeroed in on him at all times.

Quote :

"we wouldn't drop a ton of explosives on a safehouse in montana"

If the cause is deemed important enough, we would. General Sherman laid waste to numerous Southern cities during the civil war, often just to scare the crap out of people. His approach was one of the main reasons Raleigh surrendered quickly..to spare itself the same fate of Atlanta.

David Koresh in Waco wasn't as smart. He should've realized that gov't can get pretty clumsy and dangerous when public sentiment is pressuring it to resolve a stand-off. He brought Janet Reno's ridiculous over-kill tactics upon himself.

6/8/2006 9:56:13 AM

props to our armed forces

6/8/2006 9:58:25 AM

Mission Accomplished, AMIRITE?

6/8/2006 10:07:52 AM

Thank God he is gone.

And I would like to say this is a good thing, i.e., it will bring good results, but I am afraid it won't. If anything, they will probably ratchet up the insurgency and shootings, bombings, and beheadings of civilians and foreigners.



Let's see.

6/8/2006 10:11:00 AM

it won't... you decapitate a leader the sheep wander. Who do you fight for and why? Only a few cases in history have a deposed leader actually led to an overall victory.

6/8/2006 10:15:12 AM

^^ one thing we can agree on.

6/8/2006 10:21:14 AM

This should be obvious, but since it isn't: movement in a US city would be much easier than Iraq so a surgical strike would be much easier. Iraq is a significantly different ballgame, we're not playing on the home field here. Was the fact that we were killing Iraqis instead of Americans an issue? Yeah. Right or wrong thats how we think (Hiroshima). Is is justified? Maybe. Did it save lives in the long rung? Probably. Could we possibly have lost him if we'd waited to put together a ground strike? Yes. Right or wrong, you do the math.

6/8/2006 10:23:58 AM

^^^ As you can see, in this war, there is no "victory" and there is no "defeat". This war or insurgency will not end for the forseeable future.

And yes, it IS possible to get another leader. They don't need a leader in the first place. You think he sat (Zarqawi) on a huge table with a 10 sq meter map of iraq showing the streets and telling the foot soldiers where to blow themselves up and where to place the bombs? The commanders do that, who are still there. Think Bin Laden did much after 9/11? He only provided moral support and religious legitimacy. Madrid, and London still happened, along with other places. He is just a figurehead, as was Zarqawi.

Zarqawi basically provided moral support and the urge to resist. The foot soldiers are crazy enough that they have that in them to a dangerously high level. If it comes down a bit, it will climb that bit again with a new leader.

I hope I am proved wrong. I pray it all settles down.

[Edited on June 8, 2006 at 10:30 AM. Reason : ]

6/8/2006 10:27:06 AM

i remember after we found out he masterminded 9/11, bush was like "al-zarqawi - wanted dead or alive"

6/8/2006 10:33:34 AM

Gotta be careful, as I think that a lot of amateurs will start stepping up to fill the void (and you know how unpredictable amateurs can be), but I still think this is a good major victory. I was surprised at the fact his sister said that he got what he deserved.

6/8/2006 10:56:43 AM

We should have taken him into custody.

6/8/2006 11:18:04 AM

we should've used diplomacy because these guys are willing to listen and talk rationally

6/8/2006 11:18:54 AM

We could have referred him to the UN Security Council for sanctions, where they would be blocked by Russia and China

6/8/2006 11:24:34 AM

6/8/2006 11:29:24 AM

Quote :

"hooray martyrdom!!! hey, serious question - if zarqawi had been in an american city, would we have dropped a ton of explosives just to kill that one man? Well, we killed 8 targets in total. No word on collateral damage. I daresay we wouldn't drop a ton of explosives on a safehouse in montana. just, you know, for perspective. and actually Quote : "Al-Zarqawi and seven aides, including spiritual adviser Sheik Abdul Rahman, were killed Wednesday evening in a remote area 30 miles northeast of Baghdad in the volatile province of Diyala, just east of the provincial capital of Baqouba, officials said." how populated was this area? were any other homes destroyed? I'd imagine plenty were with that sort of blast. "

Reports say that the other people killed were aides and that this took place in a remote area and it was an isolated stronghold.

6/8/2006 11:29:31 AM

so lemme get this straight

its illegal to send in a delta force team with the goal of assasainating one man

but

its quite alright to firebomb his hideout and kill half a dozen people

?



this is a real question

6/8/2006 11:34:19 AM

Political assassination is illegal. Everything else is fair game. As far as my understanding goes, anyway.

6/8/2006 11:41:09 AM

do what now?

6/8/2006 11:48:31 AM

as in you can't assassinate an official political leader

e.g. saddam hussein

6/8/2006 11:51:02 AM

Quote :

"its wierd that the death of one man = "a major victory""

It is weird! I don't know if it speaks to what a cruel and crazy man he was or how twisted and confused our mission in Iraq is.

6/8/2006 11:53:23 AM

^^ Right. But it really doesn't much matter. The "ban" on political assassinations is only an Executive Order (signed by Ford, I think). If Bush really wanted, he could discard it. There may be international laws against such things, but when has that stopped us.

6/8/2006 11:56:34 AM

I'll never understand how some of you guys absolutely refuse to see good in anything that happens.

Is al-Zarqawi's death significant? Yes.

Is al-Zarqawi's death the end of the insurgency? No.

Is the Iraq war now won and over? No.

Is al-Zarqawi's a step in the right direction? Definitely.



I used to think that I was cynical.

Then I found the Soap Box.

6/8/2006 12:34:07 PM

Quote :

" if zarqawi had been in an american city, would we have dropped a ton of explosives just to kill that one man? Well, we killed 8 targets in total. No word on collateral damage."

the other 7 needed to go, too

apparently it was in a remote area

and two 500lb bombs is a light hit, in airstrike terms.

6/8/2006 12:36:59 PM

My questions are

If you drop 2 500lbs bombs on a home, how in the hell are you able to provide images (a preserved head shot) of this guy afterwards? I just saw it on msnbc

And why bomb these guys if you want evidence that they're dead? might sound like a crazy question, but I know i want verification afterwards. Sometimes these intel sources arn't very reliable. I don't want to look at a pile of rubble and say "we got em'" like we did saddam in operation: decapitate snake head or somethin of that nature.

I don't know guys!!! with this timing and the whole haditha incident...could this be one of the militarys bag of tricks?



[Edited on June 8, 2006 at 12:42 PM. Reason : .]

6/8/2006 12:38:13 PM

even if a 500lb bomb had gone right down his throat, they still could've found fingers to get fingerprints from, dna, etc.

they (we) wanted him dead, and if his face survived for a photo, great.

6/8/2006 12:43:32 PM

if i knew what "success" in iraq was, i would know if this helped us get there

6/8/2006 12:43:42 PM

Quote :

"Is al-Zarqawi's a step in the right direction? Definitely."

What direction is this? Where are we trying to go? I need some specifics.

[Edited on June 8, 2006 at 12:46 PM. Reason : ^Exactly!]

6/8/2006 12:46:15 PM

Quote :

"If you drop 2 500lbs bombs on a home, how in the hell are you able to provide images (a preserved head shot) of this guy afterwards? I just saw it on msnbc"

you go to the house, dig through the rubble and find the body and then take pictures of it.

if you think that his body would be strewn about in 100 pieces, well, you watch too much TV

6/8/2006 12:47:34 PM

Honestly, I don't think you would find anything if it got struck by 1 500 lb bomb, let alone 2. The heat, destruction etc, I mean c'mon. Lets be rational. And his entire head is perfectly preserved!?!!?

Quote :

" if you think that his body would be strewn about in 100 pieces, well, you watch too much TV"

what evidence backs this?

[Edited on June 8, 2006 at 12:50 PM. Reason : .]

6/8/2006 12:49:42 PM

WE QUIT OUTSOURCING BOMB PRODUCTION TO ACME DECADES AGO

6/8/2006 12:53:33 PM

^^uh, i dont know, the picture of his HEAD

look man, bombs dont kill you by blowing you into tiny pieces unless it falls directly onto your body. and even so, authorities can still even identify suicide bombers who strap TNT to their body. shrapnel, falling debris, heat and concusion from the bomb is what kills you.

[Edited on June 8, 2006 at 12:53 PM. Reason : .]

6/8/2006 12:53:35 PM

You're totally missing my point.

If there were other people in the house, we dropped 2 500lb bombs on the compound. How in the living hell would we be able to distinguish whos who? The heat from a 500lb laser guided bomb would obliterate human flesh easily. But yet, we find a perfectly clean preserved head, with no scratches or eyes missing. Or even hair missing?!?!

technology is badass if a person can get hit by 2 500lb bombs and still have an open casket funeral

6/8/2006 1:04:02 PM

Quote :

"If there were other people in the house, we dropped 2 500lb bombs on the compound. How in the living hell would we be able to distinguish whos who?"

Patience, hard work, and precision.

6/8/2006 1:06:05 PM

Its just like the first time we supposedly killed saddam.

I think that this is bag of trick moral booster, for this terrible war we're engaged in.

CIA: hey hollywood, can you make us a Zarqawi head, cuz were in deep shit over here, thnkx.

seriously, it pretty realistic. The guy hides anyway. We could easily fake his death. 2 huge bombs hit a

compound, and we find HIS PERFECTLY MUMMYFIED HEAD when metal beams and center blocks are split?!?!?!

6/8/2006 1:12:21 PM

Quote :

"how populated was this area? were any other homes destroyed? I'd imagine plenty were with that sort of blast. "

watch the video, seems like there was no collateral damage.

6/8/2006 1:14:43 PM

Quote :

"I think that this is bag of trick moral booster, for this terrible war we're engaged in. CIA: hey hollywood, can you make us a Zarqawi head, cuz were in deep shit over here, thnkx. seriously, it pretty realistic. The guy hides anyway. We could easily fake his death. 2 huge bombs hit a compound, and we find HIS PERFECTLY MUMMYFIED HEAD when metal beams and center blocks are split?!?!?!"

get the fuck out, he's on tv there like every fucking day/week.

[Edited on June 8, 2006 at 1:17 PM. Reason : ]

6/8/2006 1:16:34 PM

^ amazing feedback, just amazing!!

check vietnam if you don't think the military does stuff like this!

WHEN HAS ZARQAWI BEEN ON TV??? ALL WE'VE HEARD IS A VOICE RECORDING!!! IF HES ON TV HES WEARING A MASK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Edited on June 8, 2006 at 1:18 PM. Reason : .]

6/8/2006 1:17:51 PM

Hey, I wanna die death by laser guided bomb now. They just said they finger printed him, and his body was intact. It seems quick and painless, and not so bad as it looks on the monitor, where there is a 13ft deep cavity afterwards along with obliterated cement/metal infrastructures. And he got hit by 2 of them. Good for you Zarqawi.

You guys have to be crazy if this dosn't really evoke some kind of thought?

6/8/2006 1:28:10 PM