U.S. forces kill Zarqawi in Iraq

• Article
• Comments ()
• Click-2-Listen
• Videos

By

2:11 p.m.

Abu Musab Zarqawi, whose bloody campaign of beheadings and suicide bombings made him the most-wanted terrorist in Iraq, was killed when U.S. warplanes dropped 500-pound bombs on his isolated safe house, officials said today. His death was a long-sought victory in the war in Iraq.

The targeted airstrike yesterday evening was the culmination of a two-week-long hunt for Zarqawi, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. Tips from senior militants led U.S. forces to follow Zarqawi's spiritual adviser to the safe house, 30 miles outside Baghdad, for a meeting with the terror leader. The adviser, Sheik Abdul Rahman, was among seven aides also killed.

Fingerprints, tattoos and scars helped U.S. troops identify Zarqawi's body, White House spokesman Tony Snow said. The U.S. military released a picture of Zarqawi's face after the airstrike, with his eyes closed and spots of blood behind him, an image reminiscent of photos of Saddam Hussein's slain sons from the early days of the war.

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

President Bush, who learned of the deadly airstrike yesterday afternoon, hailed the killing as "a severe blow to al Qaeda 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."

Al Qaeda in Iraq 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 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."