Posted on 06/10/2006 9:33:06 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military flew in two forensic specialists Saturday to examine the remains of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi "to see how he actually died" and to reconstruct the last minutes of his life, a spokesman said.
The examination comes after U.S. authorities altered their initial account of the al-Qaida leader's death, first saying he died outright in a U.S. airstrike, then saying he survived but died soon after.
Also, an Iraqi man raised fresh questions, telling Associated Press Television News that he saw U.S. soldiers beating an injured man resembling al-Zarqawi until blood flowed from his nose.
Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Baghdad, said the decision to fly in forensic experts was made shortly after al-Zarqawi's death. The airstrike also killed five others, including al-Zarqawi's spiritual adviser, Sheik Abdul-Rahman.
"I think if we don't do a full autopsy then that might irresponsible on our part," Caldwell said. "I think we sort of owe that just for this reason: How did he actually die?"
He said the U.S. government thought it was important enough "that we grabbed two people in the last 48 hours and told them pack up and move to Iraq."
Asked about the claim that U.S. soldiers may have beaten al-Zarqawi after the attack, Caldwell said he would check. In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Jeffrey Gordon said Saturday he was unaware of the claim.
"We frequently receive allegations which prove to be unsubstantiated," Gordon said.
The Iraqi, identified only as Mohammed, said he lives near the house where al-Zarqawi was killed. He said residents put a bearded man in an ambulance before U.S. forces arrived.
"When the Americans arrived they took him out of the ambulance, they beat him on his stomach and wrapped his head with his dishdasha, then they stomped on his stomach and his chest until he died and blood came out of his nose," Mohammed said, without saying how he knew the man was dead.
A dishdasha is a traditional Arab robe.
A similar account in The Washington Post identified the man as Ahmed Mohammed.
No other witnesses have come forward to corroborate the account. U.S. officials have only said al-Zarqawi mumbled and tried to roll off a stretcher before dying.
In announcing al-Zarqawi's death, the U.S. military said Thursday that al-Zarqawi was killed outright when two 500-pound bombs were dropped on his hideout. On Friday, the military said al-Zarqawi survived the bombing, which ripped a crater in the date-palm forest where the house was nestled just outside Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad.
"It's not going to be 100 percent accurate all the time, but the first reports are going to be a little confused. There are going to be some conflicting stories," Caldwell said, adding that the military should have an accurate chronology ready by Monday.
He said Iraqi police reached the scene first and found the 39-year-old al-Zarqawi alive.
"The coalition forces arrived on the scene. The Iraqi police were there. They in fact saw a person on a stretcher. They moved to that person immediately. A medical person started immediately applying first aid to that person. Another person was trying to talk to that person, to try to identify who this was. They were trying to talk to him and ask him who he was," Caldwell said.
The airstrike killed two other men, two women and girl between the ages of 5 and 7 who were in the house.
APTN footage of the scene showed a wide swath of destruction.
Debris — shoes, sandals, a woman's slip — was scattered over concrete blocks and twisted metal. Trees were ripped from their roots. Charred dresses, torn blankets, thin sponge mattresses and pillows were the crater blasted by the bombs. A cooling unit and part of a washing machine also were in the area.
Lt. Col. Thomas Fisher of the 1st Battalion, 68th Armored Cavalry said his men showed up at the site about five minutes after the blast and cordoned it off. He said they had a patrol in the area already.
"We didn't know it was Zarqawi, we just knew it was a time-sensitive target," he said at the scene early Saturday. "We suspected who it was."
___
Associated Press writer Ryan Lenz contributed to this report.
(Denny Crane: "Every one should carry a gun strapped to their waist. We need more - not less guns.")
Can they do some DNA analysis on the lingerie as well?
What the hell is being a 'spiritual advisor' to a psychopathic lunatic like Zarkawi supposed to mean??
Oh here we go... I'm sure a piece of his skull will end up filed next to Hitler's in the KGB archives.
I have a better idea...cremate him, then bury his ashes in a pigsty.
L
There may be intelligence to gain from the body itself too.
Never know. Every corpse has a story.
Earlier today this guy's name was Mohammed Ahmed. Now, the Washington Post has identified the man as Ahmed Mohammed. Still, his word is more credible to these leftist rags than that of the U.S. Marines. What a bunch of Commies.
I think they will find that he had blew eyes: one blew this way and one blew that way...
"they beat him on his stomach and wrapped his head with his dishdasha,"
Dear Associated Press,
That's called wrapping his head wound and performing CPR, you numbskulls.
That's what I'm thinking.
They should let it be known that he is not going to heaven, as he will be buried in pigs blood when the military are finished with him.
He's dead.
The correct response to that absurd question was, "Are you still doing drugs?"
I want to see Pelosi and Reid out there saying they want an investigation into the soldiers who risked their lives for us.
I want to see Howard Dean calling President Bush corrupt for killing a terrorist and "his spiritual advisor in their home."
I want to see GLAAD bitching about George Bush killing a transgendered freedom fighter in his "illegal war for oil".
I want to see Hillary Clinton say "You know, you never saw terrorists getting blown up during the Clinton Administration"...and she'd be telling the truth.
I want to see Chris Matthews' ragged expression as he shakes his head and talks with disgust about "This Administration..." and his ten millionth reminder that he was in the Peace Corps., and how Zarqawi was "not even a player" in Al Qaeda, and where is UBL?
I want to see that smirking idiot Olberman opening his stupid show with the FIFTH story (what a moronic gimmick)--"IMPEACHMENT, or, does a President have the right to kill accused criminals without Miranda, without a legal representative, without his day in court?"
And of course DU would set the record for use of the word "but" in their posts--"I'm not saying I support Zarawi, BUT..."
If it turned out our troops eliminated an enemy in a war, I want to be there, watching all the liberals' heads explode OR watch them slice their own throats in November by saying what they REALLY think.
LOL! Had me a pulled-pork sandwich in celebration of Dead-Zarqawi Day. The bbq was especially fine that day.
here we go again, bet the MSM is gonna be all over this, allegations troops beat this animal to death. Give me a break
May Murtha will come up with a "magic 500 lb bomb" theory.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.