Posted on 11/20/2005 4:28:32 PM PST by Anti-Bubba182
There are rumors circulating in the Middle East concerning the possible death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The rumors originated with the Elaph Arabic-language Web site, were picked up by the Jerusalem Post and now are alive in several venues.
What is known is that the United States attacked a location in Mosul in which eight individuals were reported killed and burned beyond recognition.[snip...
That al-Zarqawi would be in Mosul, far to the north of Baghdad, is plausible -- an almost constant series of U.S.-led offensives against insurgents in Anbar province have made places like Ar Ramadi, Al Fallujah, and Al Hadithah dangerous for high-value targets like the jihadist network leader. In addition, a fierce and desperate firefight would be characteristic of efforts by his entourage to defend al-Zarqawi. As it became apparent that capture was imminent, it is plausible that al-Zarqawi would choose suicide as an alternative.[snip]...
....[snip] ...[snip]. The last thing the United States is going to do at this point is claim al-Zarqawi's head, only to have to withdraw the claim when a tape by him surfaces. U.S. President George W. Bush can't afford that. Therefore we would not expect confirmation for a while.
The intelligence therefore is this: There are unconfirmed rumors from multiple sources in the Middle East that al-Zarqawi was killed in a raid by U.S. forces in Mosul. This report cannot be verified but it is not, in our view, quite as fantastic as some of the other rumors that have surfaced about his death and those of other jihadists in recent years. Given the timing, it is an intriguing report and we will be watching for other evidence.
(Excerpt) Read more at stratfor.com ...
I really hope there are fingers with prints available or a jawbone among the remains. (They may have dental records and he was in Prison in Jordan so they probably have prints)
The article said, "eight individuals were reported killed and burned beyond recognition." so there may not be much left as it appears in the first reports, but the forensic people may get lucky and be able to find something to confirm or deny his death at an earlier time. At least I hope so.
I hope they find enough to ID him positively.
Our OGA has DNA on Al-Zarqawi......
They don't need much....a little charred flesh is just fine.....
Unfortunately, since Debka is also reporting this,
chances are it's not true :-)
But as far as DNA goes, we likely have the necessary
samples, both from Z-man's family (who have disowned
him) and the Jordanians, who had him locked up some
years back.
This wasn't just any attack.....there was some serious US/Iraqi firepower involved....they were hunting an HVT.....but which one.
DNA is what you need to be sure. His mother or really any female relative will do. Mitochondrial DNA is I believe what they can use.
He has family in Jordan. Getting DNA samples should be a trivial matter.
DNA can be gotten from his family in Jordan.
We have had DNA from Zarqawi for a very long time.
If he didn't die taking infidels with him, NO VIRGINS FOR HIM!
DNA = Darn Nasty Attacks?
" claim al-Zarqawi's head"
I hope the find his HEAD and Televise it.....instead of just DEAD.
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie.Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
The military should not confirm this, even if it is Zarqawi. Keep his fellow travelers wondering while we kill his chain of command..
I am sure in this case, they will do all tests available before anything is claimed officially.
It is like the reported death of Izzat al-Douri. The administration will not claim this is true without positive proof.
I understand, but it is agravating to wait.
The Stratfor guys are on top of this, They seem positive about this, if it is true, it is the next best to Bin Laden. Like they say, prudence is key in this now.
I don't believe it. Our presence in Mosul makes it less than hospitable to Zarcoward. He'd be an idiot to go there.
It is better than Bin Laden, because Zarqawi is their Sr. EVP of Operations.
Even if bin Laden is alive, he is too isolated and not in a position to handle hands-on day-to-day operations.
If the burning made DNA finding impossible..there is a possibility they can get Mitochondrial DNA ..The girl who was murdered recently in the US and only badly burned bones and teeth were left to test made me think of the difficulty. That takes longer to test and of course is not like a sure match..like DNA
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