No big deal? They really ARE delusional.
Osama bin Laden named Zarqawi as his deputy in Iraq after he pledged allegiance to the overall al Qaeda leader in October 2004. Bin Laden called him the prince of al Qaeda in Iraq.
The most feared leader of the Sunni Arab insurgency, Zarqawi has inspired an apparently endless supply of militants from across the Arab world to blow themselves up in suicide missions killing thousands of people in Iraq.
His methods became so brutal that bin Laden's deputy is reported to have told him they were hurting the image of al Qaeda, seen as one of the most ruthless militant organisations in the world.
Zarqawi, in his late 30s, was believed to have personally taken part in the 2004 beheading of an American hostage in a video broadcast on an Arabic television channel.
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=847672006
Senate Intelligence Report says Zarqawi operated out of Saddam controlled territory - Baghdad.
October 20, 2004. The Weekly Standard.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/004/803czhfn.asp
Gee, seemed to be to the Iraqi reporters who were cheering the news when the announcement was made. But many of their Western counterparts are acting like it's SSDD. Go figure.