Air Assault!
("#1 Son" wears Air Assault Wings...)
Posted on 06/09/2006 4:51:54 PM PDT by KJC1
THE vanity of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in trying to portray himself as a Rambo-style warrior was a first step towards his downfall, according to intelligence experts.
The video released in April of Zarqawi firing a machinegun -- and comically burning his hand on the hot barrel -- helped experts from Jordan pinpoint his location north of Baghdad.
But the most crucial factor was the co-operation of a source within Zarqawi's own network, which put US forces on the trail of his spiritual adviser Sheik Abd-al-Rahman.
US forces had first learned of Sheik Abd-al-Rahman in April when Jordanian intelligence officers arrested and interrogated an al-Qaida mid-level operative near the Iraqi border.
US Maj-Gen William Caldwell said that began a painstaking, six-week surveillance operation of Abd-al-Rahman which also used unmanned aerial drones.
The informer pointed them to the al-Qaida meeting attended by the sheik at the building on the outskirts of Habhib village, 8km north of the town of Baquba.
A task force, called 77 or 145, of Delta Force commandos, Navy SEALs and British special operations experts had first pinpointed the property near Baquba, 60km north of Baghdad.
The white stucco, two-storey farmhouse near a grove of palm trees was in the area where the Jordanian experts had most likely placed Zarqawi from the video.
Maj-Gen Caldwell said: "The strike did not occur in a 24-hour period.
"It was a very long, painstaking, deliberate exploitation of intelligence, information gathering, human resources, electronic signal intelligence that was done over a period of time -- many, many weeks."
But Wednesday was the first time the US was certain Abd-al-Rahman was at a hideout where it was certain Zarqawi was, which could be struck without risk of mass civilian casualties.
A local, Mohammed Ismael, said he saw three utes drive to the house late on Wednesday, but only one stayed.
By 5.30pm local time commandos from task force 145 surrounded the house, then Habhib village itself.
Mr Ismael said American soldiers began swarming the town, seemingly coming from nowhere, with some soldiers sliding down ropes dropped from Black Hawk helicopters.
"The entire village was seized," Mr Ismael said.
He said someone inside the house began shooting as the American commandos took up positions. The Americans returned fire but the fight did not last long.
Senior officers in Baghdad called in an air strike at sunset on Wednesday.
Two F-16 US Air Force Falcons circled high above and dropped two 225kg laser-guided bombs. The first flattened the house, which disintegrated into three dust clouds.
Early reports claimed Zarqawi and others had lived for about 10 minutes after Iraqi police arrived on the scene.
But when the 4th Infantry of the US 101st Airborne Assault Division arrived a few minutes later, everyone in the rubble was dead.
Six corpses were initially taken from the ruins: a woman, a child, two unidentified males, Abd-al-Rahman and finally Zarqawi. The last had green tattoos, just like Zarqawi, who was known among other terrorists as the "green man".
Within hours, the US launched 17 raids on suspect houses around Baghdad, gathering what Maj-Gen Caldwell says was a treasure trove of information.
Checks of the scars and tattoos on the body suspected to be Zarqawi were confirmed by an FBI fingerprint check.
("#1 Son" wears Air Assault Wings...)
From "My Cousin Vinny" ... "There were two utes..."
Ernest, this excellent article should answer your question re who ratted on Z Pig.
Thanks, new info on our air assault....
I stand corrected. ;-)
......It IS BECAUSE WE ARE A BENEVOLENT NATION that we are conducting this Iraq campaign in the first place...
We now have a village of really bad enemies that hate us even more. The destruction of the enemy is really not a bad thing. This village could prove to be harmful in the future.
No, but you will be nibbled to death by ducks, aka "thread police"...
We do not have all of the information. Likely there were some survivors. IMHO, by the looks of the Z-mans corpse, there were heroic efforts extended. He was Epi'd, shunted, SP'd, and in my opinion given a smooth ride courtesy of the plant that takes away all pain and suffering. Unless you have never worked with trauma, which I suspect. How DARE you infer or insinuate that our men did anything less than the best. I may not agree with the premise for overthrowing Iraq, and I think Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are in dire need of nuclear therapy. Yet please do not cast aspersion on the finest fighting force in the history of mankind. Dipsh!t.
So Mohammed, Achmed, and Christopher are walking down the road. Mo' and Ach tarry along the way in order to pleasure themselves with goats and camels. They invite Christopher to participate, but he declines. When evening comes Christopher goes to the local village in search of women. Mo' and Ach castigate him roundly for going in search of the valued virgins. Christopher replies "how else are we going to produce more virgins?" Consider.
Is it Task Force 77, Task Force 145, or Task Force 77 or 145?
Nope....somebody ratted him out for the $25Million.
"(And regardless, the video is a hoot.)"
It truly is. Finding out the leading terrorist in Iraq is just an wannabe Rambo that got lucky a few times against the Real pros.
More detail and the videos ...several...including Zarqawi firing his auto weapon on this thread:
How they zeroed in to kill Zarqawi ~ F-16's called in for the final strike
God bless him!
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