Posted on 09/26/2005 1:10:12 PM PDT by jmc1969
The No. 2 al Qaeda leader in Iraq was killed Sunday night, U.S. officials say. Abu Azzam, reportedly the deputy to Abu Musab al Zarqawi, was shot during a house rain in Baghdad, according to Pentagon officials.
As the aide to Zarqawi, Azzam was reportedly in control of financing foreign fighters coming into Iraq, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports.
According to Pentagon officials coalition troops raided the house in response to a tip. When Azzam opened fire, these officials say, he was killed with troops' return fire.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
As long as they are being killed, who cares what rank they held? They can fight over the pecking order in hell. They got their just deserts.
I understand. I realize our soldiers are doing a hell of a job out there.
it was OK to talk about SS - but not to the absence of everything else.
Doesn't sound like #2 to me???
What is so damn funny?
I'd looked through them earlier and it gave me a headache trying to figure out who was who.
Zarqawi is now reaching down into his Double A team to fill key posts.
Exactly right - Way too many are not appreciating the long term success (and damage to al Qeade) we are creating with these Ops which grab leadership level al Qeade figures (regardless if many recognize their actual names or not).
This is a great kill - Intel, Intel, Intel (from this location) is key!
Abu Musab al Zarqawi has to be worried that his bench is getting a little thin.
There is the tale about the wise old elephant herd leader, who moved with great majesty at the head of the column, until he came up to what may have been a shaky crossing, a huge log over a chasm. The elephant leader tested the log by bouncing his front feet, first the left, then the right, then both feet together, where the first step would be made upon the log. He turned around, and again tested it with his back feet. Satisfied, he stepped aside and let his second in command step up on the log and lead the pack across, only crossing himself when the rest of the herd was safely on the other side.
If the crossing is a little less than adequate, there can be an awful lot of "second in command" lost just that way.
the next 6 months are going to be interesting. hopefully things will go well, and if they do, we will start to see troop reductions in 2006. the media will instantly spin it as "cut and run", and alot of freepers are going to buy into that. I am also worried that the administration is not going to do a good job expalaining to americans what is going on.
we've won the part of the war our forces were designed to win - its up to the iraqis now to get up to speed - they seem to be doing better lately. US forces aren't going to be able to make iraq safer then New Orleans and Los Angeles - these security problems are going to be a part of the situation there for a long time.
I agree with that, they made SS everything and only talked about it for a number of months when the media was reporting suicide bombing after suicide bombing.
What the president needs to do more then anything is to create a map of progress every American can read, watch, and follow along with. Like say the number of Iraqi troops would be a good measure.
Its really not funny - I think its more frustration with Freepers. Probably because even if our soldiers capture a top aide there will be another one to take his place. Believe me it sometimes helps to joke to relieve the pent up frustrations with these terrorists.
interesting that he was in Baghdad. and who gave the tip? I mean, its not like this guy just walks up to his landlord and says "hey, its me, the AQ #2 guy in apartment 2B".
Wouldn't it be interesting if we had Z-man right now and he is spilling the beans on his whole network.
FYI - Josef Bodansky has been saying Zarqawi is already dead since June.
Oceanview - You mean well but you are way to driven over concerns regarding polls - (they are meaningless at the current time and will be until late summer 2006 )
As for the Administration and will it do a good job of explaining things - (I hear ya) - They have continually done a poor job over the past 8 months with regard to telling of our successes.
Iraq is getting safer by the day - That is a fact - The World is better off because of our forces in Iraq - That is a fact -
And when presented clearly to the American public the majority of the public understand this - Stop worrying about how the Dem's or the MSM will spin things - They are both dying a slow death - They are losers who haven't won a major election since 1998 -
The MSM becomes more irrelevant by the minute (that is a fact).
Hamin Bani Shari and Mahir al-Shami (aka Milad al-Lubnani)would seem to be above him. Unless the military knows something we don't. Which is likely.
Those house rains are very dangerous -- yard rains are much better.
Well, everytime we get a top aide his replacement gets a little bit dumber.
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