Iraqi military officials say Zarqawi near Baghdad
BAGHDAD, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Iraqi military officials said on Sunday they had intelligence indicating that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the militant leader behind some of the bloodiest attacks in Iraq, is in Diyala province near Baghdad.
It is not the first time Iraqi officials have said they have closed in on the elusive Zarqawi, leader of al Qaeda in Iraq.He is the most wanted man in Iraq, with a $25 million U.S. bounty on his head.
Army posts have been notified of Zarqawi's presence in Diyala, northeast of Baghdad, where there has been a surge in violence in the past few months, the officials said. It was not known exactly where in the province he was, one official said.
Iraqi officials have said several times that security forces had just missed Zarqawi or were closing in on him. At one point he was rumoured to be suffering from serious wounds in a hospital in the western town of Ramadi.
On another occasion, Iraqi officials said the police had captured Zarqawi but released him after three or four hours because they failed to recognise him.
The U.S. military has frequently said it has captured key Zarqawi aides across Iraq, dealing blows to his network.
Catching Zarqawi would be a major coup for the Iraqi government, which has watched the Sunni Jordanian militant order suicide bombings of Shi'ites in a bid to plunge Iraq into a sectarian civil war.
Aside from suicide bombings, Zarqawi's followers are mounting a propaganda campaign on the Internet which shows his masked militant followers beheading westerners and Arabs.
Zarqawi, who has spent time in a Jordanian jail, is believed to have carried out some of the beheadings himself as part of a campaign designed to topple the Iraqi government and force the United States to withdraw its troops.
If his presence in Diyala is confirmed, it will reinforce the belief that violence follows him around Iraq. Insurgents have killed at least 15 policemen there in the past few days alone in roadside bombs and shootings, security sources said.
It is not the first time Iraqi officials have said they have closed in on the elusive Zarqawi, leader of al Qaeda in Iraq.He is the most wanted man in Iraq, with a $25 million U.S. bounty on his head.
Army posts have been notified of Zarqawi's presence in Diyala, northeast of Baghdad, where there has been a surge in violence in the past few months, the officials said. It was not known exactly where in the province he was, one official said.
Iraqi officials have said several times that security forces had just missed Zarqawi or were closing in on him. At one point he was rumoured to be suffering from serious wounds in a hospital in the western town of Ramadi.
On another occasion, Iraqi officials said the police had captured Zarqawi but released him after three or four hours because they failed to recognise him.
The U.S. military has frequently said it has captured key Zarqawi aides across Iraq, dealing blows to his network.
Catching Zarqawi would be a major coup for the Iraqi government, which has watched the Sunni Jordanian militant order suicide bombings of Shi'ites in a bid to plunge Iraq into a sectarian civil war.
Aside from suicide bombings, Zarqawi's followers are mounting a propaganda campaign on the Internet which shows his masked militant followers beheading westerners and Arabs.
Zarqawi, who has spent time in a Jordanian jail, is believed to have carried out some of the beheadings himself as part of a campaign designed to topple the Iraqi government and force the United States to withdraw its troops.
If his presence in Diyala is confirmed, it will reinforce the belief that violence follows him around Iraq. Insurgents have killed at least 15 policemen there in the past few days alone in roadside bombs and shootings, security sources said.
posted by Marko at 1/22/2006 10:37:00 AM
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