Assessing Zarqawi's death
The New York Times carries an article with the somewhat misleading slug (on search) "Spiritual adviser lead US to Zarqawi, officials say." What the article really says is that the US listened in on the activities of Sheikh Abd al-Rahman, rather than turning him.
What I (and others) find interesting is the timing of the whole thing. In Iraq, the assassination of Zarqawi coincides with the announcement of new ministers. In the US, it comes as fresh allegations of military crimes against civilians surface and several Camp Pendelton Marines prepare to go to trial.
While Zarqawi's death is a welcome relief to Iraq and others, it is doubtful that this will significantly reduce the insurgency, although it might take the attacks against the Shia down a notch. I think US is sadly misaken if they think this is the beginning of the end of the resistance- internal resistance seldom depends on oustide sources for its main inspiration- the US is still occupying Iraq and again, it is more than likely that the raids after Zarqawi's death, picked up innocent people along with legitimate Al Qaeda operatives, terrorized neighborhoods,and stirred up more resentment.
Something else I'd like to know- how is it they were able to find Zarqawi so precisely but can't seem to tell the difference between legitimate targets and hapless families?
What I (and others) find interesting is the timing of the whole thing. In Iraq, the assassination of Zarqawi coincides with the announcement of new ministers. In the US, it comes as fresh allegations of military crimes against civilians surface and several Camp Pendelton Marines prepare to go to trial.
While Zarqawi's death is a welcome relief to Iraq and others, it is doubtful that this will significantly reduce the insurgency, although it might take the attacks against the Shia down a notch. I think US is sadly misaken if they think this is the beginning of the end of the resistance- internal resistance seldom depends on oustide sources for its main inspiration- the US is still occupying Iraq and again, it is more than likely that the raids after Zarqawi's death, picked up innocent people along with legitimate Al Qaeda operatives, terrorized neighborhoods,and stirred up more resentment.
Something else I'd like to know- how is it they were able to find Zarqawi so precisely but can't seem to tell the difference between legitimate targets and hapless families?
