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Analysis: Zarqawi, Al-Qaeda's Agent, Dies in Air Strike

Council on Foreign Relations

June 8, 2006
Prepared by: Michael Moran

Iraq's most prominent insurgent in Iraq, the Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, died in an American air strike (al-Jazeera) on what U.S. Gen. George Casey describes as "an isolated safe house" north of Baghdad. Zarqawi, leader of the group al-Qaeda in Iraq, is profiled in this Backgrounder. He sowed mayhem for over four years (WashPost) with suicide bombs, kidnappings, assassinations, and statements directed as much at Iraqi Shiites and those he called "collaborators" as against the U.S.-led military occupation. Over the years, he became an elusive, tremendously divisive figure and the Iraqi government's most wanted man (BBC).

The news gave Iraq coalition leaders a rare positive moment. Though he warned of continued difficulties in Iraq, President Bush declared "the ideology of terror has lost one of its most visible and aggressive leaders." Terrorism expert Magnus Ranstorp tells RFE/RL Zarqawi's death will have a demoralizing effect on the worldwide Islamic terrorism movement. It also coincided with an important success by new Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki—the long-awaited naming of ministers for defense, interior, and national security (NYT). But other voices warned Zarqawi's death, like the capture of Saddam Hussein two years ago, might not necessarily take the steam out of the insurgency (Guardian). Counterterrorismblog.org warns the search is already on for a replacement leader. Reaction around the world struck a similar tone—largely glad to see such a violent force contained, yet cautious not to overplay the significance (Khaleej Times).

The Iraq mission recently has suffered through the revelation of what appears to have been a massacre of Iraqi civilians at Haditha, an upsurge in violence in Basra and other areas where relative calm had prevailed, and strident criticism of U.S. tactics from the new prime minister.

Read the rest of this article on the cfr.org website.

Copyright 2006 by the Council on Foreign Relations. This material is republished on GlobalSecurity.org with specific permission from the cfr.org. Reprint and republication queries for this article should be directed to cfr.org.