CONFIRMED: Abu Al-Zarqawi DEAD

[Dr Mordrid]

Killed by a air strike (? Predator drone) along with 7 other AQ leaders;

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060608/D8I3VN5G0.html

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,198651,00.html

http://www.cnn.com/

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/036F8D00-00D5-4FCA-A378-027C9E4BA23E.htm

[Brian Ellis]

Another martyr enjoying his 72 virgins, but who will be more powerfully anti-USA and anti-Shiite dead than alive

[Dr Mordrid]

Just can't take good news at face value can you? Must be a 'glass half empty' kind of guy

Based on reports much of the intel came from Sunni's, so perhaps his "base" is shrinking because of things like the Iraqi govt.getting a full cabinet (announced today) and the Shia' finally fighting back.

Some feel the latter is a bad thing, but IMO it has positive aspects. In my experience the fastest way to get a bully to stop is to bloody his nose.

Dr. Mordrid

[Jammrock]

Good news and bad. Good news is that the most charismatic and ruthless leader of the insurgency is dead. The bad news is that this will probably trigger sleeper cells in Iraq, and possibly the world, to retaliate.

The one thing I liked the most about this article is that the news regarding al-Zarqawi's location was given by Iraqi informants. This bodes well that the Iraqi's, at least a good deal of them, are getting sick of the insurgency and just want their lives to get back to normal. And the faster things get back to normal in Iraq, the faster the US and international forces can leave.

Good riddance.

[TransformX]

I'm sorry but I don't believe in 'sleep cells' anymore.
The terrorist leaders promised big things ever since 9/11 and never delivered. If they had any so called 'sleep cells' worth anything, they had more than enough reasons to be awakened so far.

[Dr Mordrid]

In the short term I'm sure there will be a spasm of increased violence, but the long term effect could be that the insurgency will have difficulty maintaining its momentum. Time will tell....

TX;

No sleeper cells? The RCMP just busted a large cell in Canada that was planning an attack on the CN tower, Parlaiment and other targets, and that investigation has spread to 7 countries including the US. Similar cells attacked London and Spain.

Dr. Mordrid

[TransformX]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeper_cell

This is a cell, most probably formed recently by islamist activists. If it was a sleeper cell, the plans would have already been in place and they'd be ready for action. There's a fundemantal difference between a sleeper cell (which again, I don't believe there are many of) and activists forming a terror cell.
When an organisation activates sleeper cells, usually it means that pre-made plans will be pulled out of the drawers and action would be taken ASAP, nothing like the terrorists being caught lately.
Sleeping agents, maybe. Sleeper cells, nah..

[Umfriend]

I'm with TX on this one. Weird....

I'm not even sure about the increased violence to come from this. It takes some organisation to do something. I just hope there is no lieutenant ready to take over this one.

[Dr Mordrid]

More;

There were many other leaders of AQI under observation by Predators etc. that were being held off on in hope that they would lead us to Al-Zarqawi. 17 of those were hit as soon as the ID was made.

Dr. Mordrid

[cjolley]

...
The one thing I liked the most about this article is that the news regarding al-Zarqawi's location was given by Iraqi informants. This bodes well that the Iraqi's, at least a good deal of them, are getting sick of the insurgency and just want their lives to get back to normal.
...

Or that he was turned over by rivals in his own org because he was a loud mouthed attention grabber that wasn't really doing them ay good.
On the other hand, the secondary hits may have done real damage.
Time will tell.

Good riddance++

[Admiral]

Be certain that someone else will take his place.

[rylan]

Wrap his body in pork leftovers and bury him. That'll scare the other extremists into thinking twice since they won't get to their 72 virgins.

[TransformX]

Be certain that someone else will take his place.

Most probably, not someone as capable.

[The PIT]

Most probably, not someone as capable.

We don't know do we do. If he is bad news for the Iraqi's trying get more organisation in there country.

[High_Jumbllama]

:bows head:


May he rest in pieces.