Good News From Iraq

Airstrike kills terror leader al-Zarqawi in Iraq

In other news: "The United States has suffered a de facto defeat in Iraq ... The United States has practically lost this war." (SPIEGEL journalists in an interview with Iran's president Ahmandinejad, as published in the May 29, 2006, issue of SPIEGEL)

SPIEGEL ONLINE Already Spinning: "Bush Happy About Zarqawi's Death"

Guess what SPIEGEL ONLINE: Not only is Bush happy, all freedom-loving people who disdain blood-thirsty acts of terrorism should be happy! Maybe SPIEGEL ONLINE doesn't belong to that category, but we do. Only the cynical German media could spin the death of this violent man in such a manner. Stern seems to be devolving into a propaganda wing for Al-Qaeda with its headlines.

UPDATE: Looks like certain Bush-haters have absolutely gone of the deep end after hearing the good news. Olaf of Extrablog seems to think the US "doctored" photos of Zarqawi and isn't quite sure it is actually the terrorist. Hmmmmm...maybe aliens cloned the terrorist and told George W. where he was just to collect the $25 million? You know, the same aliens who flew the planes by remote control into the towers...oh wait, that was the CIA...Radio Free Sauerkraut is currently experiencing technical difficulties...we're losing the signal...

Comments

[wolfrock]

Yeah!!! Good to know that this goatf*cker is dead.

But I'm sure German media will find ways to blame the US or President Bush in one way or another, e.g. because it took so long to find him or they are more interested in the Hadite events or even because they killed him (how shocking :-) )...

It is even more satisfying to hear that after watching the movie "Flug 93" a few days ago.

"Let's Roll"

[Toe-pi]

Conspiracy nuts from all across the globe are about to claim that al-Zarqawi is merely the invention of the Great Satan and the Americans have no longer use for these kinds of urban legends. It is exponentially unlikely that they, speaking in particular of the Europeans, will ever acknowledge an indisputable success in the war against a murderous and wicked ideology -- also known as Islamofascism. It would pose the risk of stepping out of cloud-cuckoo land; which is next to unthinkable for people who are constantly assured that they are always right and the Americans always wrong, no matter what.

[Pamela]

Iraq the Model has some background. Whether or not he was betrayed, he basically gave his own game away.

Hibhib is a small town several kilometers to the northwest of Baquba and most of its people are from the Azzawi tribes.
This small town was traditionally nicknamed Um al-Arak as it was famous for producing some of the finest Arak in Iraq, an industry that flourished in the area for the abundance of date palms. It's even said that Hibhib's Arak can make the fox get drunk!

Of course that was before the Salafi Zarqawi tide reached this once peaceful town.
It was quite visible lately that Hibhib became a place for intense terror activity, especially after the phenomenon of severed heads appeared. Severed heads of civilian Iraqis were found twice in fruit boxes in and around Hibhib; a terrible crime that shocked Iraqis.
Also a few days ago 19 passengers, mostly students were murdered in cold blood just north of Hibhib which indicated that a seriously bloody terror cell was in this area.

There had been several reports about Zarqawi fleeing Anbar to Diyala after the tribes in Ramadi turned against al-Qaeda but obviously, Diyala and its suburbs and Iraqi tribes were not willing to endorse the head chopping criminal.

In the first official confirmation, PM al-Maliki said that Jordan has provided intelligence that was used in the raid on Zaraqwi's hiding place but he also stressed that tips from locals were the primary lead to Zarqawi's exact location and these were the information according to which the missiles were guided.

Al-Maliki said that among the 7 killed with Zarqawi were two women who were responsible for collecting intelligence for the al-Qaeda HQ cell.

That last graf will no doubt be the NY Slimes' focus. There goes the US military again - killing women.

Also, another piece of good news that will probably get buried under the rubble of the house those scum were in - the Iraqi gov't has finally filled the last 2 remaining ministerial posts. The gov't is complete, Zarqawi is dead and leftists all over the world are in the throes of apoplexy.

I'm a happy girl.

[Helian]

This is a great time to carefully watch the reaction of the media. CNN TV didn't know whether to spit or swallow this morning. There are lots of broken hearts at the editorial offices of SPIEGEL, the NYT, and BBC this morning. Their editorialists and columnists will desperately try to transmute victory into defeat in the coming days. If you don't believe in media bias, watch, read, and learn something.

[George M]

To Der Spiegel editorial staff......whom we know trolls this web site:

Ihr seid gescheitert!

[WhatDoIKnow]

the Iraqi gov't has finally filled the last 2 remaining ministerial posts. The gov't is complete, Zarqawi is dead

I'm a happy girl

Enjoy it while you can. The goal posts are about to be moved anytime now.

[Scott_H]

"...tips from locals were the primary lead to Zarqawi's exact location..."

Yeah buddy, $25 million is a powerful motivator. As they say, money talks, BS walks.

I was watching CNN International during a "breaking news" segment and Christiane Amanpour was doing her best to minimize the impact of Zarkmans's death. The insurgency is so deeply entrenched and widespread, you know. In her opinion, his death will be a mere speedbump for the insurgency.

Whatever.

Joshka? Any comments? Still not convinced?

[Helian]

Hate peddler Pitzke chimes in: "Dies ist Wendepunkt Nr. 697". The moving of the goalposts begins.

[Mike H.]

Toe-pi, Michelle Malkin has responses to Zarqawi's death from the Democratic Underground. You are prescient. Have you had this ability very long?

[Toe-pi]

@Helian

As simple as that, and in five words: Déjà vu all over again. Old habits die hard, especially when it comes to sanctimonious hypocrites and in-the-middle-of-nowhere-living know-it-alls who aspire to teach a grandmother to suck eggs. Bush is "happy" about al-Zarqawi's death? So what? What's the news? Dog bites man? With all due respect, but I don't get it.

[F. Hoffmann]

Interessant wie in den Nachrichten berichtet wurde. Habe CNN und Tagesthemen verfolgt.
Jim Clancy und Kollegin sowie Wickert solo berichteten mit Leichenbittermienen über Zarkawis Tod.
CNN bzw. deren Korrespondentin meinten zwar, daß im Irak eigentlich alles so weitergehen werde wie bisher und überhaupt, blablabla…
In den Tagesthemen zunächst mal Bericht mit Bildern, dazu der Begleitkommentar, daß Zarkawi in dem Haus gewesen SEIN SOLL und bei der Bombardierung umgekommen SEIN SOLL.
Besserung der Situation verspreche man sich nicht, er war ja “NUR EINER VON VIELEN” (der ehemals als Terrorfürst und Widerstandsgenie gefeierte Herr Z.).
Dann Kurzpotrait seines Lebens: Netter junger Mann schließt sich dem Widerstand in Afghanistan an, geht dann 2003 in den Irak, macht dort weiter Widerstand. Verantwortlich für den Tod vieler Leute, bißchen… Nix Kleinkrimineller mit pseudoreligiöser Lizenz zum Töten…
Man sah förmlich die schwarze Armbinde bei Wickert, hat man doch einen seiner wichtigsten Hoffnungsträger im antiamerikanischen Kampf verloren.
Wenigstens der Kommentator vom SWR meinte, daß ein wichtiger Führer der Al Kaida umkam und die Regierungsbildung im Irak abgeschlossen wurde und Hoffnung für den Irak bestehe.
Grüße von F. Hoffmann

[WhatDoIKnow]

Bis jetzt waren die USA unfähig Zarkawi zu finden. Vielleicht hätte er irgendwann Che Guevara den Platz auf T-shirts wegnehmen können. Auf einmal ist aber die Tatsache, dass es kein Zarkawi mehr gibt gar nicht mehr so wichtig.

[Helian]

@WhatDoIKnow

"Bis jetzt waren die USA unfähig Zarkawi zu finden. Vielleicht hätte er irgendwann Che Guevara den Platz auf T-shirts wegnehmen können. Auf einmal ist aber die Tatsache, dass es kein Zarkawi mehr gibt gar nicht mehr so wichtig."

Yes, there is a remarkable phenomenon of attitude adjustment in the MSM when we get one of these kingpins, isn't there?

As we've read time after time after time in the MSM, the failure to capture bin Laden is tantamount to the failure of the War on Terror itself. For example, as CNN breathlessly tells us,

"The longer bin Laden remains in hiding, the more defense and terrorism experts, intelligence and military sources and Central Asia scholars question whether the U.S. military campaign was flawed from the start."

Even loser Kerry chimes in.

If not capturing one of the bigshots is evidence that the War on Terror is a "failure," then killing another bigshot must be evidence that the War on Terror is a success, right? WRONG!! I won't bother to list the links. Instapundit has them for anyone who's interested. Suffice it to say that, if you believe the MSM, whether in Europe or the US, getting Al-Zarqawi was counter-productive, is not a turning point (I love this strawman talking point. Was anyone actually stupid enough to say it was a turning point?), will spawn 1,000 more Al Zarqawis, will provoke a horrible revenge, etc. etc.

Is it any wonder that their audiences keep shrinking? Mention any hypothetical topic or event, and anyone with a brain can predict what the spin will be without the inconvenience of actually having to hear or read it. Es lebe Blogs!

[WhatDoIKnow]

I was jogging in the gym this Thursday afternoon and unfortunately MSNBC was on. What I heard was pure delirous MSM crap. Suddenly, the death of Zarqawi was a good thing for Al-Qaida, according to MSNBC You see, they weren't in love with each other anymore, so if the US didn't get him, probably Al-Qaida would have. It has already becoming a cliche to say: the MSM never ceases to amaze.

It is way, way beyond me how those MSM people go home at night and say to themselves, "another honorable day at work". If I were so full of sh*t at my job, I would be fired today. I guess sh*t is OK in the media, as long as it has the right ideological color.

[George M]

Zarqawi's first words to Allah.........."I've been screwed! These virgins all look like Helen Thomas!"

[WhatDoIKnow]

Zarqawi's first words to Allah.........."I've been screwed! These virgins all look like Helen Thomas!"

LOOOL

And then he says "Hell, I should have gone with the raisins...".

[PacRimJim]

Q. How long did it take Germany to kill the Baader-Meinhof Group of German terrorists, who operated in Germany and killed dozens of people for 28 years?
A. That's a trick question, because the Germans never managed to catch them and still don't know who most of them were.
QED: Bush still has 24 years to catch bin Laden, before Germans should open their hypocritical mouths.

[Olaf Petersen]

PacRimJim, Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof have been arrested 1972, five years after the first attacks, and died in prison 1976/77.

[Dave]

PacRimJim

And how long did it take the german authorities to take out those terrorists in munich in 1972? half an hour I guess :)

[Alex N.]

@ Dave

And we all know how well this one worked out. My dear, why would you come up with that? That's the first time I see someone bringing this up as a favourable example of counter-terrorism lol. Anyway, do you think OBL would survive long if he took a bunch of hostages in NYC demanding to be flown to Afghanistan?

[Scott_H]

Dave said: "And how long did it take the german authorities to take out those terrorists in munich in 1972? half an hour I guess :)"

Dave, you'd better go back and re-read your history. I think you'll find that "half an hour" is no where near the truth. And, if that's what *your* history book says, I'd get another one, if I were you.

Here's a rough timeline:

Sept. 5, 1972, ~4:30 - Black September (Fatah, PLO) terrorists began their attack by entering the Israeli team's apartments and killing two athletes, holding 9 others hostage.

Sept. 5, 1972 ~22:00 - two helicopters fly the 8 terrorists and 9 hostages to the airport where supposedly an escape plane was waiting -- and 5 police "sharpshooters" (the police thought there were only 5 terrorists, had no hostage rescue experience, and had turned down Israel's offer of experienced special forces to carry out the rescue of their citizens).

Sept. 6, 1972 sometime between midnight and 3:00 - when the helicopters landed at the airport, a firefight ensued that initially killed 2 terrorists and wounded a third. Eventually, a terrorist jumped out of one of the helicopters and tossed a grenade back inside, killing 4 hostages. The remaining terrorists began riddling the second helicopter with bullets, killing the remaining hostages.

Sept. 6, 1972 ~3:00 - the firefight ended in which 5 of the 8 terrorists, all of the Israeli hostages, and one German policeman, had been killed.

Three of the terrorists were "captured," never tried, and handed over to Libya 7 weeks later in exchange for hostages on a Palestinian-hijacked airplane (sound familiar?).