Abu Azzam, a leading deputy to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al Qaida’s leader in Iraq, has been killed, US defence officials in Washington confirmed.
The US network CBS News, quoting Pentagon officials, reported that American forces killed Azzam in a house raid in Baghdad on Sunday.
CBS described Azzam as Zarqawi’s top deputy, in control of financing foreign fighters coming into Iraq.
It was unclear if Azzam was the same individual as a man whose name appeared in February on a US list of the 29 most-wanted supporters of insurgent groups in Iraq.
Sheikh Abdalluh Abu Azzam, also know as Amir of Anbar, was listed as a Zarqawi lieutenant with a 50,000 dollars (£28,100) reward for his capture.
US and Iraqi officials in Baghdad said they had no additional information beyond what the defence officials in Washington had reported about the killing.
Earlier this month, al-Zarqawi declared “all-out war” on Shiites and vowed to kill anyone participating in the referendum.
Meanwhile, in northern Iraq, a top aide to al-Zarqawi surrendered to police in the city of Mosul, Iraqi army Brigadier General Ali Attalah said.
The aide, Abdul Rahman Hasan Shahin, was one of the most wanted figures in Mosul, Attalah said.
It doesn’t make any difference. None at all. Don’t these people understand that this isn’t a cut and dried/black and white situation of ‘kill the bad guys the good guys win’? So they got a terrorist who had a well known name. Whoop-dee-doo. Congratulations you big shot super hero dudes. You showed ’em!!
Idiots.
The thing that they don’t seem to understand about this enemy is that you can defeat them by simply killing them. You need to undo their support network. You have to beat them in the minds of their supporters; the men and women of the Middle East, not just on the Battlefield.
Until the Coalition understand this they cannot win. Killing your enemies is a meaningless victory.
