Washington put a $25 million price on his head - the same as al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. al-Zarqawi was the biggest bogeyman of the American occupation of Iraq. Intelligence officials say that man was al-Zarqawi. The one in the center, dressed completely in black, denounced the American occupation of Iraq before pulling out a large knife and cutting off Berg's head. In May 2004, Islamic militants released a video showing American hostage Nicholas Berg surrounded by five masked men. Hussein Kamal said Iraqi security forces caught al-Zarqawi near the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah but thenreleased him because they didn't realize who he was.īefore he appeared on video unmasked, al-Zarqawi was little more than a lethal shadow. His closest brush may have come in late 2004. The task force narrowly missed capturing him in April 2006 in a raid about 20 miles southwest of Baghdad. forces and their allies came close to capturing al-Zarqawi several times since his campaign began in mid-2003. troops, had one goal: hunting down al-Zarqawi. and Iraqi troops carried out 17 simultaneous raids in and around Baghdad following the bombing attack where forces found a "treasure trove" of information.Īl-Zarqawi's death came six days after the Jordanian-born terror leader appeared in a videotape, urging Sunnis to engage in sectarian violence against Shiites in Iraq.Ī secretive organization called Task Force 145, made up of some of the most elite U.S. William Caldwell said that Wednesday night was the first time there had been definitive information as to al-Zarqawi's whereabouts.
Photos of al-Zarqawi and the destroyed safe house as well as video of F-16's dropping two 500-pound bombs were released today during a military briefing in Baghdad. "The death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is a huge success for Iraq and the international war on terror," he said.
Khalilzad said al-Zarqawi's death was a huge victory in the worldwide war on terrorism. commander in Iraq, said the fatal hunt for al-Zarqawi began in the area two weeks ago. "It is an open battle with all those who incite sectarianism." "This is a message for all those who embrace violence, killing and destruction to stop and to before it's too late," he said. Al-Maliki also warned those who follow the militant's lead that "whenever there is a new Zarqawi, we will kill him."
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