Zo Long, Zarqawi

Update: Check Hot Air for video of the air strike - also, see several links there for more. One thing that amazes me is how some are downplaying this now that Zarqawi is dead. They're mainly the same people who have been saying all along we should be all about bin Laden and that we aren't is a sign of failure. Apparently one man only makes a difference to them when it's one that hasn't been lit up by a smart munition. Check out the video above.

Below is the President's address. Plenty of on topic blogging.

Here's an exclusive from Baghdad on a new site I'll be saying more about at a later date. PJM also has a round up, including a podcast with Omar in Baghdad from Iraq The Model

via Centocm 7:31 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Last night in Iraq, United States military forces killed the terrorist al Zarqawi. At 6:15 p.m. Baghdad time, special operation forces, acting on tips and intelligence from Iraqis, confirmed Zarqawi's location, and delivered justice to the most wanted terrorist in Iraq.

Zarqawi was the operational commander of the terrorist movement in Iraq. He led a campaign of car bombings, assassinations and suicide attacks that has taken the lives of many American forces and thousands of innocent Iraqis. Osama bin Laden called this Jordanian terrorist "the prince of al Qaeda in Iraq." He called on the terrorists around the world to listen to him and obey him. Zarqawi personally beheaded American hostages and other civilians in Iraq. He masterminded the destruction of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad. He was responsible for the assassination of an American diplomat in Jordan, and the bombing of a hotel in Amman.

Through his every action, he sought to defeat America and our coalition partners, and turn Iraq into a safe haven from which al Qaeda could wage its war on free nations. To achieve these ends, he worked to divide Iraqis and incite civil war. And only last week he released an audio tape attacking Iraq's elected leaders, and denouncing those advocating the end of sectarianism.

Now Zarqawi has met his end, and this violent man will never murder again. Iraqis can be justly proud of their new government and its early steps to improve their security. And Americans can be enormously proud of the men and women of our armed forces, who worked tirelessly with their Iraqi counterparts to track down this brutal terrorist and put him out of business.

The operation against Zarqawi was conducted with courage and professionalism by the finest military in the world. Coalition and Iraqi forces persevered through years of near misses and false leads, and they never gave up. Last night their persistence and determination were rewarded. On behalf of all Americans, I congratulate our troops on this remarkable achievement.

Zarqawi is dead, but the difficult and necessary mission in Iraq continues. We can expect the terrorists and insurgents to carry on without him. We can expect the sectarian violence to continue. Yet the ideology of terror has lost one of its most visible and aggressive leaders.

Zarqawi's death is a severe blow to al Qaeda. It's a victory in the global war on terror, and it is an opportunity for Iraq's new government to turn the tide of this struggle. A few minutes ago I spoke to Prime Minister Maliki. I congratulated him on close collaboration between coalition and Iraqi forces that helped make this day possible. Iraq's freely elected Prime Minister is determined to defeat our common enemies and bring security and the rule of law to all its people.

Earlier this morning he announced the completion of his cabinet appointments, with the naming of a new Minister of Defense, a new Minister of the Interior, and a new Minister of State for National Security. These new ministers are part of a democratic government that represents all Iraqis. They will play a vital role as the Iraqi government addresses its top priorities -- reconciliation and reconstruction and putting an end to the kidnappings and beheadings and suicide bombings that plague the Iraqi people. I assured Prime Minister Maliki that he will have the full support of the United States of America.

On Monday I will meet with my national security team and other key members of my Cabinet at Camp David to discuss the way forward in Iraq. Our top diplomats and military commanders in Iraq will give me an assessment of recent changes in the political and economic and security situation on the ground. On Tuesday, Iraq's new Ambassador to the United States will join us, and we will have a teleconference discussion with the Prime Minister and members of his cabinet. Together we will discuss how to best deploy America's resources in Iraq and achieve our shared goal of an Iraq that can govern itself, defend itself and sustain itself.

We have tough days ahead of us in Iraq that will require the continued patience of the American people. Yet the developments of the last 24 hours give us renewed confidence in the final outcome of this struggle: the defeat of terrorism threats, and a more peaceful world for our children and grandchildren.

May God bless the Iraqi people and may God continue to bless America.

Comments

[lawbster]

finally after so many false alarms zarqawi does indeed seem to be finished. let's hope the end of zarqawi and the appointment of the last two members of the iraqi cabinet mean that iraq has turned a corner and rebuilding the country, the people's hope and lives can begin.

[salada]

Listen........hear that giant sucking noise? That’s the MSM taking a deep breath because they don’t really know what to say about the termination of this mass murderer and several of his coconspirators.

[Mary]

One down (of many) with the big one yet to come.....

[rwilymz]

"One down (of many) with the big one yet to come"

Right. Al Zawahiri.

Osama-dude is the money-man and little more. Ayman is the brains. Before Ayman joined, al Qaida was noted for being rather ineffective. Lotta mouth, no bang.

Pan-islamist terror groups are slaves to Arab culture: devoted to personality, tribe, clan. With the death of al Zarqawi, the draw of his personality is no longer there and it's quite likely over the next year we'll see the fracturing of his "al Qaida in Iraq" group into the same squabbling and in-fighting squads.

Check out the arena scene in "Life of Brian"; while satire, it's not that far from reality.

[John Bullfinch]

Watch the cynics give us a bunch of BS and say that "well, this didn't end after we captured Saddam" or "this didn't end after we deposed the Taliban" or "this didn't end after we killed Mohammed Atef" or "this didn't end after Saddam's sons were killed" or "this didn't end after Khomeini died" or "this didn't end after we captured Khalid Mohammed," etc. etc. Watch them say "well, the big problem is the Shiites" or "the big problem is possible Kurdish assertion of sovereignty," etc.

Fact of the matter is, it is OVER, and the stoopid liberals are re-al-ly pissed off.

[A Guy]

I think the point most people miss is the history of the region. These people have been fighting each other and everything else since the beginning of time and the invention of sand in the region. Simply said it is their way of life. Don't misunderstand me, I am glad the Al Zarqawi and his minions have met their ultimate fate and I do hope this action will help to solidify a new Iraq but I feel we still have a long way to go for stabilization.

God Bless our Soldiers!!

[rwilymz]

"I feel we still have a long way to go for stabilization"

No doubt.

Their stability will either be the result of
1] occupation and assimilation for several hundred years by a [western] nation[s] who will impose stable order upon them, or
2] from themselves when they finally get tired of promoting and playing tribal bullshit

#1 is not likely; the West is currently too "enlightened" to *impose* order; we must nag and cajole instead, because that's what reasonable people do -- even with unreasonable people.

Their only likely recourse is #2, and that's a lo-o-o-ong way off. They're simply not that culturally evolved.

Our best [practical] response to the whole mess that is the Middle East is to promote their tribal and sectarian in-fighting until they are too weak and tired to do anything else, and then mop up. But this isn't "polite" because it promotes bloodshed, so it won't be done. It won't even be widely discussed among those who'd implement it.

[annie]

I think people are forgetting about the main one in Iraq who is still alive and kicking.

Saddam Hussein!!

If only the US hadn't interfered with their Western justice of long drawn out trials, and appeals, etc, the Iraqis would be long rid of him.

Why?

Because they would have done to him what should have been done in the first place.

Like, took him round the back and finished him off!!

Just like the Romanians did with their evil dictator and his evil wife.

So many of them could breath a lot easier then!!

[Xenophon]

@ annie

prolly the best thing to do is give saddam a 1000 men back and some ak's and he'll whip that country back into an orderly dictatorship... Saddam knows how to handle guerrilla warfare. The US is still learning by dying atm

[annie]

Xenophon

Does that include his mincing machine as well?

[coconuttree]

Here;s a different opinion.:

O'BRIEN: There's a theory that as they try to form some kind of government, that it's going to be brutal, it's going to be bloody, there's going to be loss, and that's the history of many countries -- and that's just what a lot of people pay for what they believe will be better than what they had under Saddam Hussein.

BERG: Well, you know, I'm not saying Saddam Hussein was a good man, but he's no worse than George Bush. Saddam Hussein didn't pull the trigger, didn't commit the rapes. Neither did George Bush. But both men are responsible for them under their reigns of terror.

I don't buy that. Iraq did not have al Qaeda in it. Al Qaeda supposedly killed my son.

Under Saddam Hussein, no al Qaeda. Under George Bush, al Qaeda.

Under Saddam Hussein, relative stability. Under George Bush, instability.

Under Saddam Hussein, about 30,000 deaths a year. Under George Bush, about 60,000 deaths a year. I don't get it. Why is it better to have George Bush the king of Iraq rather than Saddam Hussein?

O'BRIEN: Michael Berg is the father of Nicholas Berg, the young man, the young businessman who was beheaded so brutally in Iraq back in May of 2004.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/06/08/berg.interview/index.html

[Rick]

They left out the part where Dick Cheney took his shotgun and forced Berg to go over there at gun point. I bet there are hundreds of kids who wish they had had a choice in the matter.

[Kelly3]

May God Bless our military and their families who live this war day in and day out. It is almost laughable to hear CNN and others try to spin this. This is GREAT! The men and women of our military ROCK!! Thank you! It isn't over but this is GREAT for the people of Iraq. Let freedom ring!!! God Bless America!!!!

[FloridaPatty]

I've been partying all day.

[rwilymz]

"the young businessman who was beheaded so brutally in Iraq back in May of 2004"

The young **businessman**???????

He was a multi-college drop-out bumming around Iraq on a misguided lark attempting to install cable and satellite TV.

[DoorMart]

The Mike Berg comments, like Murtha and other America-haters, do nothing more than "Political Fragging" of our Armed Forces.

Our US Armed Forces once again showed that they are the world's finest by taking care of Zarqawi. Not only they got him, but managed to bomb the hell out of his hangout and kill him while leaving him (pretty much) in one piece.

We got confirmation and verification that it was Zarqawi.

But blowhards like Berg and Murtha will keep spewing. The Political Fragging continues