Posted on 09/24/2004 6:46:32 AM PDT by marty60
U.S. Creates Task Force to Target Al-Zarqawi
Friday, September 24, 2004
WASHINGTON — U.S. military planners have assembled a special task force charged with finding and neutralizing Jordanian terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (search), U.S. officials told FOX News.
Known as Task Force 626, the operation is assembled along the same lines as that of Task Force 121 (search), which searched months before capturing Saddam Hussein and is still hunting Usama bin Laden.
Task Force 626 is smaller than its higher-profile sibling but is similarly made up of CIA operatives, special operations troops from the Navy and the Army, and a handful of investigators.
Members of 626 have fanned out in areas ranging from Baghdad to Fallujah and other areas in the contested al Anbar province in search of al-Zarqawi. While al-Zarqawi is still at large, officials say the task force and other military units have been very successful in eliminating many leaders of his group's leadership.
Many key al-Zarqawi figures have been "whacked," one official told FOX News, citing the missile strike that took out al-Zarqawi's spiritual guide and advisor late last week.
Officials believe they may have taken out as much as half of the members of the senior leadership of al-Zarqawi's group, Tawhid and Jihad (search) — whose name is loosely translated as "Monotheism and Holy War," but they caution that the group harbors many more figures who could rise up and take their places.
Tawhid and Jihad this week claimed responsibility for kidnapping and killing two Americans — Jack Hensley (search) and Eugene Armstrong (search). The group is still holding Briton Kenneth Bigley (search).
Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2004 ComStock, Inc. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Copyright 2004 Fox news
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This has to be long after the fact of this task forces inception. I would imagine that they already have Al-Zarqawi fairly well zeroed in and are awaiting an opportunity to ventilate his skull. It's too bad that he will most likely die quickly rather than begging blindfolded in front of a video camera.
I'm sure his bed in the basement of the children's hospital, mosque, day-care center, etc. is quite safe from any surgical strikes...
General Richard Myers testified yesterday that we "whacked" 6 of Al Zarqawi's lieutenants in operations this last week.
It's the same feeling I get when the media publicize the failures of airport security to stop weapons. Is that the sort of information that should be broadcast to the world?
Known as Task Force 626...
Why don't they change it to something more appropriate, like Task Force 666?
I would rejoice in their capture. I have no doubt that it will influence the election as well. I was only pointing out the rhetoric that the other side will try to pull.
But DNA testing should be do-able.
In part to keep al-Zarqawi on the run and always looking over his shoulder ...
Task Force 626 most certainly HAS been in existence for several months - (just because the media is learning about it now doesn't mean a thing)-
Our shooters have been killing members of Zarqawi's group nightly for months. Zarqawi's time will come.
No doubt he has been very hard to corner. Just like a rat.
My gears are pretty well ground down with ANGER that such an action was not taken 10 beheadings ago!
I wonder some time if he exists but rather is a figurehead propagated by arab murderers.
Now that I got that out of my system, I'll never do it again.
Go get him boys! Put him down like the rabid dog he is.
I know it is a bit "dirty dozen" but somehow we need to track where these hostages are being taken, to which safe houses, and also develop an element of fear in the hearts of other terrorists that the Westerners they take charge of as hostages may also be used via technology to locate their positions and terminate with extreme prejudice.
"Dirty Dozen" fantasy and all that, but certainly there must be an out of the box idea that folks have not yet put into play that just might work.
Wouldn't it be great if the president announced his capture during the first debate? Talk about taking the wind out of Kerry's sails...
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