Tracking Zarqawi

[SWJED]

4 Dec. Washington Post - Buried in Amman's Rubble: Zarqawi's Support.

Amid the continuing bloodshed in Iraq, there is evidence of fresh thinking. The change is, ironically, brought about by Abu Musab Zarqawi himself, whose indiscriminate terrorism appears to have succeeded in uniting people there against his global jihad ideology. Since the hotel bombings in Zarqawi's native Jordan, more and more Sunni Iraqis and Arabs have condemned the terrorist leader's nightmarish vision for their societies -- one that promises further "catastrophic" suicide attacks. Their reaction represents an important turning point, both for the militants for whom this change of outlook represents a new predicament and for the U.S. government, which must recognize that securing Iraq's future stability is not up to foreign military forces but depends on local public opinion...

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22 Jan. London Times - Zarqawi ‘Sleeps in Suicide Belt’.

Iraq's most wanted man, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, goes to sleep every night wearing a suicide belt packed with explosives, according to a leading insurgent who met him two weeks ago...

His account, passed to The Sunday Times by a reliable intermediary, is the first description of Zarqawi in Iraq since Washington slapped a $25m bounty on his head, the same as the reward for the killing or capture of Osama Bin Laden.

The sheikh’s two-day meeting with the Jordanian-born Zarqawi provided a rare insight into the terrorist accused of masterminding the videotaped beheadings of western hostages — including Ken Bigley, the Liverpool-born engineer, in 2004 — and countless suicide bombings and assassinations.

“He is known by America and the world as the prince of beheadings, the murdering sheikh of innocents, the blood spiller,” said Ansari.

By contrast, he said, Zarqawi seemed a “simple” man and put on a show of humility at a two-day meeting to secure the co-operation of the Army of the Victorious Sect and other groups with Al-Qaeda in Iraq.

The sheikh’s two-day meeting with the Jordanian-born Zarqawi provided a rare insight into the terrorist accused of masterminding the videotaped beheadings of western hostages - including Ken Bigley, the Liverpool-born engineer, in 2004 - and countless suicide bombings and assassinations...

[Jones_RE]

I have extreme doubts about this report. For one thing, consider the source: a sheikh who leads a terrorist cell that just concluded an alliance with Zarqawi's group.

It seems somewhat unlikely that a man in Zarqawi's position would wear a suicide belt all the time. For one thing, homemade bombs are quite unstable and unreliable. Also, Iraq is a country where one is subject to the possibility of searches at any one of the many, many military checkpoints and in one's home. Zarqawi knows that our identification of home is tentative and outdated - his best chance to deal with one of these searches is to keep his cool. Wearing a bomb, on the other hand, would instantly finger him as a troublemaker. Moreover, it's not the kind of thing that local people would want to put up with. Even if you like having anti-us forces in your midst, guys so paranoid they're ready to blow themselves up at the drop of a hat still don't make great neighbors. Suicide bombers go through some fairly rigorous training and indoctrination procedures, as a rule, so it seems unlikely that Zarqawi is truly ready to join their ranks. Finally, the true defense of a guerrilla is invisibility - the ability to blend in with the native population. Zarqawi loses this if he differs substantially from the locals.

It would make some sense from him to plant a story like this, however. The whole anecdote plays him up as a courageous martyr - humble, pious, courteous, fearless of his own death and valuing his honor. Precisely the sorts of qualities that make him look like a serious leader, not a two bit hit man who doesn't dare set foot in his own country. It makes sense to put on a show like this around guerrillas you're trying to impress.

Question - did Zarqawi intend for this anecdote to reach the western media? This sort of legend could be useful to him in intimidating Iraqis (especially Iraqi police) who might otherwise try that much harder to identify and arrest him. It says a lot about the capability of al Qaeda in Iraq if they are cultivating western journalists as well as local ones.

[Merv Benson]

One of the facts that gives the story some credibility is that US troops have reported killing several enemy lately who were wearing the explosive vest.

[Stu-6]

I also doubt the sleeping in a suicide vest thing. If nothing else I am sure the guy has guards they should be able to wake him up with enough time to put on his vest. That way he can leave the vest in the closet and not have to worry about going to heaven over a bad dream.

[Strickland]

This must be a relatively new waredrobe shift for him for we know that he jumped out of a moving pick-up truck in Ramadi last year to avoid capture.

[Strickland]

By the way, didnt the Iraqi Police also report capturing and "mistakenly" releasing Zarqawi in 2005, when they failed to correctly identify him. Not quite sure how they positively identified him after the fact, but I digress.

[Merv Benson]

He must not have been wearing the explosive vest at the time.

[GorTex6]

He is covered in (jailhouse)tattoos. This is considered dirty amongst muslims and very rare.

[SWJED]

14 April Washington Times - Zarqawi, al Qaeda are Heading out, U.S. General Says.

Al Qaeda in Iraq and its presumed leader, Abu Musab Zarqawi, have conceded strategic defeat and are on their way out of the country, a top U.S. military official contended yesterday.

The group's failure to disrupt national elections and a constitutional referendum last year "was a tactical admission by Zarqawi that their strategy had failed," said Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, who commands the XVIII Airborne Corps...

Gen. Vines' statement came as news broke that coalition and Iraqi forces had killed an associate of Osama bin Laden's during an early morning raid near Abu Ghraib about two weeks ago...

Gen. Vines said the foreign terrorists had made a strategic mistake when they tried to intimidate and deny Iraqis a way to vote.

"I believe Zarqawi discredited himself with the Iraqi people because of his willingness to slaughter Iraqi people," he said.

Huthayafa Azzam, whose father was seen as a political mentor of bin Laden, told reporters in Jordan in early April that Zarqawi had been replaced as head of the terrorist fight in Iraq in an effort to put an Iraqi at the head of the organization.

Azzam said Zarqawi had "made many political mistakes," including excessive violence and the bombing last November of a Jordanian hotel, and as a result was being "confined to military action."...

[Merv Benson]

Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch at his weekly press briefing said:

...

... There has been, from this 14-day period -- 15 to 28 March -- to the most recent 14-day period -- 29 March to 11 April -- a decrease in the number of attacks. And there's been, in terms of Baghdad proper, about two attacks less per day in that reporting period, about an IED less per day and a small-arms fire attack less per day. The enemy's still out there. Baghdad's the center of gravity. He wants to stop the formation of a national unity government. So operations continue, and he's doing these most horrific acts.

The one that's most notable over the last week is the bombing of the Shi'a mosque up in Buratha with four suicide bombers. Horrendous affect in terms of innocent civilians killed and wounded -- the innocent men, women and children of Iraq that are the target of Zarqawi and al Qaeda in Iraq. And what he tried to do in that day last week is he tried to inflame sectarian violence. Let's take four suicide bombers, let's take them to that Shi'a mosque, let's detonate, let's kill a lot of innocent civilians, let's damage the mosque if at all possible and let's see what happens. Let's cause this cycle of violence to continue. Let's see the Shi'as now, as a result of this attack, turn against the Sunnis and conduct significant attacks.

That didn't happen. It didn't happen. And people say, well, why didn't that happen? That's because we've got effective security force presence on the streets in Baghdad. It's because the government of Iraq appealed to the people of Iraq for calm. It's because religious and local leaders said enough is enough and break the cycle of violence.

So Zarqawi's still out there. Al Qaeda in Iraq still wants to inflame sectarian violence. That is an indication of what he's capable of doing, and we will continue our operation with the Iraqi security force to keep him from doing what he wants to do.

...

[GorTex6]

Why not move your jihad to the Xinjiang Province China? Go blow up their new Caspian oil pipeline and terrorize the Han Chinease, instigating heavy handed retrobution against the Uigur muslims(in Tianamen like fashion). The Uigers already get crapped on by the oppressive government and the encroaching Han; they should be ripe for insurrection. I bet all your militant islamic jihadist buddies from Pakistan and Afghanistan will follow suit. Heck, they are right next door!

(4GW smorjee-W)

[SWJED]

28 April Christian Science Monitor - Zarqawi: The Man, The Image, The Video Star.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the elusive leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, made his screen debut this week. In a 35-minute video, the man responsible for the car-bomb deaths of hundreds of Iraqi civilians and the beheadings of numerous foreigners, dismissed the new Iraqi government as an American "stooge" and a "poisoned dagger" in the heart of the Muslim community. He promised more attacks.

The Zarqawi video comes, perhaps not coincidentally, days after another call by Osama bin Laden that Muslims support Al Qaeda in its war with the West. In addition, there was a triple bombing at an Egyptian resort that killed two dozen and injured many more, and double suicide bombings at a multinational peacekeepers' base in the Sinai peninsula. In the midst of the carnage and the threats, what to make of Mr. Zarqawi's message? Here are five points to consider:

1. Zarqawi's video is designed for Iraqi fighters as much as it is for Arab and Western eyes. He is trying to rally Sunni Iraqis and foreign militants to continue the fight. With the selection of a new Iraqi prime minister and president, allowing the country's Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish leaders to start assembling a government, Zarqawi can't let the Sunni-led resistance lose steam...

2. The tape mocks reports of his demise and marginalization. Press reports have told of skirmishes between Al Qaeda and homegrown Iraqi fighters, at least partly due to the indiscriminate car and suicide bombings of civilians...

3. Zarqawi must have thought hard before revealing his face for the first time (he previously relied on audiotapes): A video increases the risk to his security. But evidently he decided that the benefits of joining the shadowy show-biz world of his mentors, Mr. bin Laden and deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri, outweighed the dangers...

4. Although Zarqawi acknowledges "our emir and commander Osama bin Laden," his video is all about self- promotion and self-aggrandizement...

5. Far from being over, the Zarqawi horror play will be with us for a while. Expect more devastating attacks and, tragically, more bloodshed...

[Jedburgh]

From USIP: What Makes Zarqawi Tick?

...In cooperation with the Middle East Program of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Muslim World Initiative at USIP invited Gilles Kepel, director of the Middle East–Mediterranean Program at Sciences-Po in Paris, to present his analysis of al Qaeda operations in Iraq. Dan Brumberg, special advisor at USIP and professor at the Department of Government at Georgetown University, and Dan Byman, professor at the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown, commented on the implications of Kepel’s analysis for the broader struggle against radical Islamism. This event was moderated by Haleh Esfandiari, director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Kepel focused on three main issues:

- Zarqawi's efforts to mobilize the (Sunni) masses in Iraq;
- Ideological divergences within al Qaeda precipitated by Zarqawi’s violent tactics;
- The prominent role Iran is playing in Iraq, and Iran’s effect on the political process.

[SWJED]

4 May American Forces Press Service - Coalition Shows Zarqawi Outtakes During Press Event.

Coalition officials here today showed the "outtakes" of terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's latest anti-coalition screed, and it became quickly apparent why they ended on the cutting-room floor, so to speak.
In one, Zarqawi -- the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq -- has trouble trying to operate an automatic weapon. An associate has to show him how to do it. Later in the same shot, an associate takes the weapon from Zarqawi by the barrel and burns his hand. In another, the feared terrorist is shown in a black uniform and bright blue "tenny pumps."

Coalition troops found the tape during a raid on a hideout for foreign fighters. "He is far from being a capable military leader," coalition spokesman Army Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch said during a news conference today.

Zarqawi has the most to lose as Iraq forms its national unity government, the general said. Al Qaeda leaders understand that democracy in Iraq means failure for the extremist organization.

Zarqawi's al Qaeda mission is to destabilize any government in Iraq, to drive the coalition from the country, and to impose an extremist government and expand it across the region.

Lynch said the coalition has made good progress against foiling suicide bombings, the most deadly attacks in Iraq. "The suicide attacks are where the innocent men, women and children of Iraq are being killed or severely wounded," the general said.

About 90 percent of those launching suicide attacks are foreigners recruited and outfitted by Zarqawi. "We have planned and launched operations over the past couple of weeks to deny him that capability," Lynch said.

Over the past year, the coalition has cut the number of suicide attacks Zarqawi can launch. First, operations in the Euphrates River Valley disrupted the flow of foreign extremists from Syria, and now intelligence has allowed coalition forces to kill or capture a significant number of foreign fighters.

A year ago, Lynch said, there were on average 75 suicide attacks per month. Today there are less than 25 per month.

Lynch said coalition officials have targeted suicide bombers. "Since April 8, coalition forces have killed 31 foreign fighters," he said. "These are people that Zarqawi brought into Iraq to be suicide bombers who were killed before they could launch their attacks."

Suicide bombers most often come from Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Jordan. Most come into Iraq over the Syrian border. Lynch said that once captured, suicide attackers have often given coalition officials "actionable intelligence."

4 May Voice of America - U.S. Military Says It is Closer to Capturing Al-Qaida's Leader in Iraq.

The U.S. military says it is closer to capturing al-Qaida's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

A military spokesman made the remark Thursday in Baghdad, following the recovery of documents and an unedited copy of an al-Zarqawi video that aired last week on international television.

U.S. Major General Rick Lynch mocked al-Zarqawi while playing unedited video showing the terrorist wearing a black uniform and American-made running shoes. The video also shows him struggling to fire an automatic weapon.

General Lynch said U.S. forces discovered the video in April in a series of raids south of Baghdad, near Yousifiyah. He described the area as a planning and staging post for insurgent suicide attacks.

On Edit - ABC has footage of the Zarqawi "bloopers" posted here. Hat tip to Bill Roggio at the Counterterrorism Blog.

[SWJED]

Bill Roggio at the Counterterrorism Blog - Hunting Zarqawi and Tales of the Tape.

ABC News has the footage of the 'Zarqawi Bloopers'. CENTCOM has a 20 second clip of Zarqawi misfiring the SAW. He is receiving instructions and definitely does not know how to handle this weapon. His handler clears the weapon for him. FOX News has a four minute clip.

In today's weekly media briefing from Baghdad, Major General Rick Lynch stated Coalition and Iraqi forces are closing in on Zarqawi and his network. "We believe it is only a matter of time until Zarqawi is taken down. It's not if, but when," said Maj. Gen. Lynch, "He's willing to pull his people from outside the perimeter of Baghdad into Baghdad to go full out on operations inside of Baghdad. Which leads us to believe his personal location is probably somewhere close to those operations. Zarqawi is zooming in on Baghdad, we are zooming in on Zarqawi." Zarqawi's focus on Baghdad is forcing him to concentrate the organization's resources and energy on the capitol (I noted on December 10, 2005 that the insurgency is focusing on the 'core' of Iraq - Baghdad and the surrounding regions, and reiterated this at the end of March). The focus on Baghdad is exposing his network to Task Force 145 - the hunter-killer teams of Special Operations Forces put together to track down Zarqawi and al-Qaeda in Iraq high command...

[SWJED]

8 June Washington Post - Insurgent Leader Zarqawi Killed in Iraq.

Abu Musab Zarqawi, leader of one of the most entrenched insurgent operations in Iraq, has been killed, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced Thursday.

Maliki, flanked by U.S. Gen. George Casey, who commands U.S. troops in Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, announced at a hastily called news conference: ''Today Zarqawi is defeated.''

Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, has been reported injured or sick several times in the past; it has been impossible to independently confirm those reports. He last was seen in a video in early May in which he was shown fumbling with a weapon, but audiotapes bearing new messages from him were released as recently as last week.

An Interior Ministry inspector general, who refused to be identified, said an aide of Zarqawi was arrested last night in a raid by U.S. and Iraqi special-operations forces. The aide led U.S. and Iraqi officials to a site outside Baghdad, the Interior Ministry official said. After a fierce firefight, authorities entered the site and found the bodies of 13 people. The captured aide identified one as Zarqawi...

[SWJED]

In the SWJ Daily News Links for 8 June...

Here is the Voice of America report...

Iraq's most-wanted terrorist leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has been killed north of Baghdad in a joint operation by U.S. and Iraqi forces.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced Zarqawi's death at a news conference in the Iraqi capital, broadcast live around the world. Standing with Mr. Maliki were General George Casey, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad.

Reporters and the Iraqi and American officials in the room burst into applause when Mr. Maliki announced that "Zarqawi was eliminated."

The prime minister said seven of Zarqawi's associates died with him late Wednesday in a "safe house" near the city of Baquba, northeast of Baghdad.

General Casey said Zarqawi was holding a meeting as a U.S. air strike began. Ground forces on the scene immediately afterwards identified Zarqawi through his fingerprints and known scars, as well as "facial recognition."

General Casey said the operation to hunt down Zarqawi began about two weeks ago.

Zarqawi was responsible for thousands of killings, Ambassador Khalilzad said, so his removal marks a great success for Iraq and the global war on terror.

The Jordanian-born terrorist mastermind led the "al-Qaida in Iraq" group on a bloody campaign of suicide bombings, kidnappings and beheading of hostages across Iraq. The United States had offered a $25 million reward for his capture.

[SWJED]

Also via Voice of America

"Coalition forces killed al-Qaida [in Iraq] terrorist leader Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi and one of his key lieutenants, spiritual adviser Sheik Abd-Al-Rahman, yesterday, June 7th, at 6:15 p.m. in an air strike against an identified, isolated safe house," said U.S. General George Casey.

"Tips and intelligence from ... senior leaders from his network led the forces to Zarqawi and some of his associates, who were conducting a meeting approximately eight kilometers north of Baquba when the air strike was launched."

Casey also told reporters gathered in Baghdad that "Iraqi police were first on the scene after the air strike [and] ... coalition forces were able to identify Zarqawi by fingerprint verification, facial recognition and known scars."

The U.S. commander had applauded a few minutes earlier, when Iraq's prime minister confirmed Zarqawi was dead.

"Zarqawi and al-Qaida in Iraq have conducted terrorist activities against the Iraqi people for years, in attempts to undermine the Iraqi national government and coalition efforts to rebuild and stabilize Iraq. He is known to be responsible for the deaths of thousands of Iraqis," added Casey.

"Zarqawi's death is a significant blow to al-Qaida and another step toward defeating terrorism in Iraq."

Casey concluded his remarks with a warning that terrorists are still active in Iraq.

"Although the designated leader of al-Qaida in Iraq is now dead, the terrorist organization still poses a threat," the American commander said. "Its members will continue to try to terrorize the Iraqi people and destabilize their government as it moves toward stability and prosperity. Iraqi forces, supported by the coalition, will continue to hunt terrorists that threaten the Iraqi people until terrorism is eradicated in Iraq."

Bolded emphasis by SWJ / SWC.

[GorTex6]

known scars

ie jailhouse tattoos. He is covered in them.