The US military said on Monday that al-Qaida's leader in Iraq
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi died of his lung injuries nearly an hour after
a US airstrike, while al-Qaida named his successor.
US military spokesman Major General William Caldwell told a
press conference in Baghdad that the US force arrived at the scene
28 minutes after US F-16 fighter jets dropped two 500-pound bombs
on al-Zarqawi's hideout last Wednesday and tried to treat him as he
was breathing with difficulty.
He said that US troops arrived at 6:40 PM (14:40 GMT) after an
F-16 dropped the first bomb at 6:12 PM (14:12 GMT) and al-Zarqawi
died at 7:04 PM (15:04 GMT), which means he stayed alive for 52
minutes after being raided.
Caldwell also said that DNA analysis conducted by experts from
outside Iraq had confirmed the identity of the slain
al-Zarqawi.
Meanwhile, command surgeon of Multinational Forces Colonel Steve
Jones said that al-Zarqawi died of extensive lung injuries.
"The blast waves of the two bombs caused tearing, bruising of
the lungs and bleeding," he said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced last Thursday that
the most wanted insurgent in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed
along with seven followers in the air raid near Baquba, 60 km north
of Baghdad.
Also on Monday, the al-Qaida in Iraq appointed Abu Hamza
al-Muhajira as the successor of al-Zarqawi.
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"The Shura Council of al-Qaida in Iraq unanimously agreed to
appoint Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Muhajir as the successor of Sheikh
AbuMusab al-Zarqawi," said a statement posted on a website usually
used by Islamic militants.
It was reported that Egyptian-born bomb expert Abu-Musri or an
Iraqi named Abdullah Rashid al-Baghdadi would probably replace
al-Zarqawi whereas al-Muhajir has been little known before.
In the same day, seven militants linked to al-Qaida in Iraq were
killed in a US airstrike near Baquba, a US military statement
said.
"Coalition forces killed seven terrorists, wounded three, and
detained an additional two terrorists during a raid in the vicinity
of Baquba June 12," said the statement.
It also confessed that two children were killed and one child
wounded in the air raid.
Violence raged on Monday again, ending a short tranquility after
al-Qaida in Iraq vowed to launch more attacks in response to the
killing of its leader.
On Monday morning, six employees of the Iraqi Oil Ministry were
killed and 12 others wounded when their bus was destroyed by a
roadside bomb in southern Baghdad.
On Monday night, at least ten were killed and 56 injured in two
car bombings in Baghdad.
In Baquba, seven Iraqis were killed, including three soldiers,
and seven others wounded in two attacks.
In the town of Balad, 80 km north of Baghdad, two car bombs
killed six and wounded 30 others.
(Xinhua News Agency June 13, 2006)
