Posted on 06/27/2005 7:49:04 AM PDT by dead
WASHINGTON - The US military is close to locating al-Qaeda's frontman in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, General John Abizaid, the commander of US forces in the region, said.
"I think we have a good idea of where to find him," Abizaid told CNN.
"We know what we're doing in our efforts how to get him," he said.
"But I want to also stress that it's not about one man. It's about his network. His network exists inside Iraq. It's connected to al-Qaeda. It's got facilitation nodes in Syria," Abizaid told the US cable news channel.
"It brings foreign fighters in from Saudi Arabia and from North Africa. It is connected to what is happening in Afghanistan and what is happening in Pakistan. It is a global battle that we face," he said.
"The Zarqawi part of the network needs to be taken down. He needs to be captured or killed. But we should understand: It's a long war ahead of us. It's a difficult enemy that we'll have to fight over time throughout the region," the general said.
Jordanian-born Zarqawi, who has a 25-million-dollar US bounty on his head, is blamed for some of the deadliest attacks in Iraq and is the country's most-wanted man.
Zarqawi warned militants against contacts with the "enemies of God" and dismissed as lies revelations that US officials had been in contact with insurgents in Iraq.
"We are warning anyone who meets the Jewish, the Crusaders and their agents," according to an Internet statement attributed to Zarqawi's al-Qaeda organisation in the Land of Two Rivers.
Abizaid spoke after US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld earlier confirmed a British newspaper report that US officials had contacted insurgents in a bid to stem the violence plaguing Iraq.
"Sure, my goodness, yeah. The first thing you want to do is split people off and get some people to be supportive. The same thing's going on in Afghanistan," Rumsfeld said.
AFP
Geez, I had to look at the date. Who doesn't say this every month and why should we believe them now?
Maybe, but more likely protected by former Ba'athist party leaders with no hope of reclaiming the "good life."
The general didn't say it. You can thank the editor(s).
I see this rag is tipping off the terrorists!.....
....If Abizaid didn’t want it printed, he wouldn’t have said it......
The fact is, we don't know he said it do we?
LOL
you have the utmost respect but you won't listen to what I, Coop or Allegra say?
Now THAT is interesting...
I sure as heck wouldn't be anywhere near here if that were the case.
I have Iraqi co-workers and I deal with Iraqi businessmen on a daily basis. And yes, we do talk local politics.
The average Iraqi citizen hates the terrorists as much as we do.
You're wrong!!
Listen to the all-knowing ones!! ;-)
LOL - I still get a laugh out of the guy on here who told me my "vision of the situation was skewed" because I'm in Iraq. That because of that, I really didn't have a good idea of what's going on. This was in respone to my refuting the media's constant doom and gloom.
That was at least three weeks ago, but it still cracks me up.
Yeah, I remember that. :-) Some people...
Iraqis have provided shelter to foreign-born terrorist insurgents.
No! Really?!? Gosh, who'd a thunk it?
Any other "breaking news" for us, like "sun rises in East" or "liberals hate America"?
And let me remind the oft forgetting Rats/Liberals/MSM that it is a known FACT that al-Zarqawi was inside Iraq and was aided by Saddam Hussein and his evil terrorist abetting regime BEFORE we went to war.
Now, Mike, while I agree with everything you are saying, I really can't comment on this.
After all, my vision of it all is skewed, you know.
Heeeheeeee
Someone has decided to listen to the MSM instead of his fellow FReepers - who are actually there or were there.
Has Mikhailovich learned NOTHING over the last 5+ years?
PS... The MSM is wrong - ask someone who knows.
hhee
you know they have an operation for that ;-)
The other guys, smartasses, as I see them, can think what they want to think.
There's no reason to kiss anyone's ass on this. Its fact.
I think this rant was meant for all of us - not just me.
But I guess you have spent time over there right?
No?
Well then I guess you have been in the intel community over here in the states right?
No?
Well then certainly you have been reading FR and reading the stories about what is going on over there with regards to the Iraqi population?
No again?
You wouldnt have had the chance to read centcom.mil or the stories that come out of Stars and Stripes?
Again no huh?
Interesting....you seem to have made up your mind and won't listen to anyone else. As Allegra says, I guess our viewpoints are "skewed" because we were ONLY over there....LOL
Yes, Micky has a bad habit of directing comments towards people without actually directing comments towards people. Know what I mean?
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