The small-time hood who became Iraq's Public Enemy No1

[ECH1969]

Last week US forces in Iraq chose the first day of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, to launch a new offensive along the Syrian border against Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the man they blame for most of the violence racking the country. But, as before, all they have succeeded in doing is bolstering his myth.

No one had heard of Zarqawi until Colin Powell, then US Secretary of State, named him in the February 2003 speech to the UN Security Council which prepared the world for war in Iraq. At that stage, the Jordanian was not recognised as a leader by al-Qa'ida. But, thanks to his relentless promotion as a bogeyman by the US - most recently by President George Bush last week - and his subsequent endorsement by Osama bin Laden, Zarqawi, 38, is now every bit as dangerous as he has always been portrayed.

Their correspondence explains why the Jordanian wanted to drive a wedge between the Sunni and Shia insurgencies. Zarqawi feared a united nationalist resistance, which would necessarily be secular and would shun the Arab jihadists. Keeping the Islamist warriors at the forefront of the anti-American battle was paramount to building a Sunni Islamist state in Iraq. Thus, from the beginning, Zarqawi fought on two fronts: against the Shias and against the Americans.

And the West helped him obtain the endorsement he craved, by blaming him for every attack inside and outside Iraq, especially suicide missions and the resistance in Fallujah. In December 2004 Bin Laden finally granted his support and named him "emir" of al-Qa'ida in Iraq. That in turn has enabled the Jordanian to attract enough followers and resources to engage US forces while keeping up the suicide bombings against Shias that have brought Iraq to the brink of civil war. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is now at the core of the Iraqi insurgency, but he would not be there without both the US administration and al-Qa'ida. It is a surreal coincidence.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article318233.ece

[NNadir]

1. If it weren't so weird, it would be funny.

Damn the Bushies are incompetant.

[ECH1969]

2. Hell yes

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

3. Boy, Zarqawi has done so many things since he reportedly was killed

at the beginning of the war. His camp was bombed and getting away ain't too easy when you have a false leg. There were several tribal leaders who signed an affadavit stating Zarqawi was dead.

I believe he is dead, and this lying government of ours is keeping him alive, a specter, someone to fear, not unlike Emmanuel Goldstein in 1984.

[karlrschneider]

4. He was killed twice and lost both legs. The guy is amazing.

And we kill the "number 2 man" every couple months. Lazarus got nuthin' on this character.
:eyes:

[NNadir]

5. Well we kill Osama's #2, every few weeks.

This guy had better get on the stick. He's lagging Osama big time.

If he really wants to be in the big leagues he has to have at least 25 number 2's killed per year, minimum.

Let's face it, if you can't manage 20-25 dead number 2's per year, you're a weak twit.

(How many Bush #2's have been killed, BTW?)

[radwriter0555]

6. but he grew back his leg and an eye AND he's dead... he's got jesus on the

run for miracles at this rate.