Free Republic

An interview with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s “chief aide” and supervisor of military operations in western Iraq, Abu Hafsa al-Ansari, conducted in al-Ramadi by the Lebanese magazine al-Watan al-Arabia and published February 23, 2006, was recently posted to a password-protected al-Qaeda-affiliated forum. As the first part of the interview focused upon the groups relations with the Iraqi people, financing and composition, the second half concentrates on al-Qaeda in Iraq’s goals and demands, and issues related to the political process, targeting civilians, and grand military operation success and failures. Amidst the discussion, Abu Hafsa al-Ansari relates an account of Zarqawi suffering injury...

An interview with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s “chief aide” and supervisor of military operations in western Iraq, Abu Hafsa al-Ansari, conducted in al-Ramadi by the Lebanese magazine al-Watan al-Arabia and published February 23, 2006, was recently posted to a password-protected al-Qaeda-affiliated forum. The interview touches upon a number of topics including the size and composition of the al-Qaeda organization in Iraq, its financial sources, kidnapping of hostages, targets, interpretations of the political issues and allegations concerning uprisings by Iraqis against the insurgency. In addition, al-Ansari also reveals information regarding Zarqawi’s injury and how he was saved by the use of chemical...