Winks Blog

19 Killed, 40 Injured, US Kills Al-Zarqawi In Airstrike

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

"Al-Zarqawi was eliminated," Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said.

At the White House, President Bush hailed the killing as "a severe blow to al-Qaida and it is a significant victory in the war on terror."

But he cautioned: "We have tough days ahead of us in Iraq that will require the continuing patience of the American people."

The news came amid more reports of violence in Iraq, with two bombs striking a market and a police patrol in Baghdad, killing at least 19 people and wounding more than 40.

Al-Qaida in Iraq confirmed al-Zarqawi's death and vowed to continue its "holy war," according to a statement posted on a Web site.

"We want to give you the joyous news of the martyrdom of the mujahed sheik Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

"The death of our leaders is life for us. It will only increase our persistence in continuing holy war so that the word of God will be supreme."

Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said the hunt for al-Zarqawi began two weeks ago, and his body was identified by fingerprints and facial recognition. The U.S. military showed a picture of al-Zarqawi's face after the airstrike, with his eyes closed and spots of blood behind him.

Casey said an American airstrike targeted "an identified, isolated safe house."

U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell showed a videotape of an attack in which he said F-16 fighter jets dropped two 500-pound bombs on the site.

"We had absolutely no doubt whatsoever that Zarqawi was in the house," Caldwell said.

Casey said tips and intelligence from senior leaders of al-Zarqawi's network led U.S. forces to al-Zarqawi as he was meeting with associates. Iraqi police were first on the scene after the airstrike, he said.

posted by Wink @ 9:12 AM