Al-Zarqawi dead or alive after gunfight?

MSNBC ^ | Nov 21 2005

[saquin]

If I remember correctly, we "just missed" Saddam many, many times before we got him.

Zarqawi is on the run. It's only a matter of time.

[Gucho]

ping


Thank you.

[Steve_Seattle]

According to NRO, the Jordanian hotel bombing and other recents actions/threats, have made Zarqawi a persona non grata in much of the region. His popularity has almost vanished, even among his own tribal group, which means that it will be much harder for him to find safe houses and much likelier that someone will turn him in for the reward. His days may indeed be numbered, even if he got away this time.

[Southack]

"Most likely, they thought that Americans would be in the lobby of that building, but once the muslims got a taste of their own medicine, it did not taste too good."

Honestly, the difference is the news media.

Zarqawi has been attacking Muslims for 3 years. However, his attack on the Jordanian wedding couldn't be spun by the local Islamic news media because King Abdullah welds considerable influence over them.

And without cooperation by the local Islamic news media, the global news media couldn't just go out on a limb to lie and spin...as their stories would be in direct conflict with the local Jordanian reporters **who are there on the scene**.

So because the global anti-Americans couldn't sway the local Jordanian news coverage, they couldn't in turn spin the global news coverage (unlike in Baghdad, where Zarqawi's attacks on fellow Muslims consistently gets some degree of a pro-al qaeda spin - even if criticized).

And because the global news coverage wasn't spun, Al Qaeda finally suffered a grave public relations setback. That PR setback will make their future attacks on civilians, even in Iraq, more difficult to spin...thus making their PR war even more difficult.

Consider, to a Muslim in the Islamic world, how difficult it becomes to explain why Al Qaeda is blowing up Muslim weddings yet leaving Israel alone!

This is going to hamper their recruiting and fundraising...and that is going to further diminish their military capabilities (which are already devastated by the U.S. and our allies).

---

...And if we had a CIA that was worth spit instead of being corrupted by anti-American leftists through and through, our spooks would have been rooting out the worst anti-American reporters by exposing their lies, subtley, in an on-the-ground-in-Iraq PR campaign...as well as insuring that global reporters at least *got* our success stories there.

News starts small, typically locally...but gathers speed and size like a snowball coming down a mountain. This is where leftists have concentrated much of their Baghdad efforts. They start pushing American death stories locally, and they try to downplay the good news stories.

[Cinnamon]

his days are numbered. the people that blew themselves were high ranking... close circle type... why else avoid capture? slowly Zarqawi tightens the nooze around himself. we'll probably find him in a spider hole somewhere on a farm ;)

[dogcaller]

Good point about the CIA...bet few people know why we have had such poor human intelligence. Between Senator Frank Church and Admiral Stansfield Turner it's amazing they can find their way home from Langley at night. This doesn't even factor in the Clinton rules prohibiting any association with individuals who may have blemished human rights records. Behind every problem you will find a Democrat solution.

[Marine_Uncle]

"And because the global news coverage wasn't spun, Al Qaeda finally suffered a grave public relations setback. That PR setback will make their future attacks on civilians, even in Iraq, more difficult to spin...thus making their PR war even more difficult."

Have to agree with the totality of your writing. Imagine how miniscule this whole SASO would be if Abu's goons where not video taping all the attacks the perform at their leasure. Al-Jazera would have nothing to pass unto the L/MSM. And the dems would have next to nothing to make a case on. No explosions, no war, in the eyes of the minions.

[Cheburashka]

I'm sure the left will take him in since his family has disowned him.
---
Check the Kennedy compound.

[Cheburashka]

I wonder if they swim naked in the pool together when only the goats watching....
---
The goats never get to watch.
As soon as Zarkawi is done with them, Moore eats the goats.
Then they go swimming together.

[Cheburashka]

Everytime he gets away like that the odds move againt him more and more. He cannot keep beating the odds. We just got a litttle closer.
---
Your right. He has to be successful every time.
We only have to be successful once.

[Cheburashka]

Presumably the three who blew themselves up considered themselves too valuable to be captured alive.
If there was an escape tunnel, they would have used it with Zarkawi, and left the security detail to die, covering their retreat.
There of course remains the possibility of an underground hidey-hole, like Sadaam's, which couldn't hold all of them. I expect our guys searched for it - if it's there they didn't find it.

[justshutupandtakeit]

This is a recent war, only 1400 yrs old. Compared to the age of the Earth it is recent.

[bilhosty]

"Your right. He has to be successful every time.
We only have to be successful once."

well stated.

[Paloma_55]

Oh..and one more thing.

The muslim media was beginning to spin it as a "Israel Covert Action" until the bomber gal showed up with a pack on. At that point, it was kinda...well, irrefuteable.

Its just a matter of time before these guys start getting fingered left and right. Some day, Iraqis may be our best source of intelligence in the Middle East.

[Southack]

I agree. Well said.

[Phil Southern]

ping

[Ichneumon]

Al-Zarqawi dead or alive after gunfight?

I think I'll have to go with an answer of "yes" on that question...

[Irishguy]

agreed,

a mistake is inevitable by him...and sooner or later the last thing this CS will see is the tip of a TOW missile...just imagine, somewhere now lies the missile or .50cal marine sniper round waiting to take that little CSers head clean off...approriate since he is so fond of beheading himself...

smile and enjoy your day and for all of ye who saw that 500lb drop on a bunch of morons in iraq, i give you the best response ever from a ground based soldier to a pilot after it dropped....

OOOHHHH DDUUUUUUDDDEEEEE!!!