Al-Qaida Denies Death of Zarqawi, Narrates Battle in Mosul
By Evan Kohlmann
This morning--after days of silence on the issue--Al-Qaida's Committee in Iraq has issued a communique vigorously denying that its Jordanian commander Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in a raid by U.S. military forces last week on a house in Mosul. According to the statement, the house did contain a number of Al-Qaida operatives and at least one of their wives. When the group realized that they were being surrounded by coalition troops, they allegedly telephoned local Al-Qaida commanders and prepared to lay a trap -- allegedly resulting in numerous casualties among their enemies.
Separately, I have also made available on Globalterroralert.com a complete transcript of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's November 18 audio recording on the subject of the recent Al-Qaida suicide bombings in Amman, Jordan. In his recording, Zarqawi took pains to warn Muslims to stay away from regional airports, military bases, embassies, and other potential terrorist targets in Jordan in the coming days -- suggesting that additional Al-Qaida suicide bomb attacks are quite likely.
Lastly, I also want to draw attention to a recent blog entry by Aaron Weisburd over at Internet Haganah on the issue of foreign fighters in Iraq. Aaron's discovery should serve as a reminder of the diverse range of foreign militants who are arriving in Iraq seeking to join Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Al-Qaida.
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» Al-Zarqawi: dead or not? from Tel-Chai Nation
There have been reports already, such as this one from the Jerusalem Post (via Michelle Malkin), that Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi may have been among eight terrorists who blew themselves up in Mosul in Iraq. But so far, nothing is clear. [Read More]
