Counterterrorism Blog: The Rise and Fall of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi: Print This

[This entry will continue to be updated throughout the day]

Twenty-four hours after the U.S. military announced the death of most wanted Al-Qaida leader in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, reactions continue to pour in from all sections of the jihadi community. Among the most interesting items of note:

- A statement from Al-Qaida confirming the "martyrdom" of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi signed by Al-Qaida Deputy Commander Abu Abdelrahman al-Iraqi.

- A communique from the editors of Sada al-Jihad Magazine lamenting the "martyrdom" of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and acknowledging his likely successor Abu Abdelrahman al-Iraqi.

- A communique from the notorious Al-Hesbah website (responsible for disseminating Zarqawi's multimedia material on the Internet) promising that "Zarqawi's blood is a fuel that will burn the invaders and the apostates... We call upon [our mujahideen brothers in Iraq] to transform the pure blood of our Shaykh into fuel that will burn the crusaders, shake the ground beneath the feet of the [Shiites], and [transform] into swords that will claim the heads of the apostates."

- A communique from the Islamic Army in Iraq (IAI) claiming responsibility for an improvised explosive device (IED) attack on Iraqi Interior Ministry soldiers celebrating Zarqawi's death in western Baghdad.

Counterterrorism Blog

The Rise and Fall of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi

By Evan Kohlmann