http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4581801.stm
Iraq backs Zarqawi wounded claim Reports that al-Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has been wounded are true, the country's interior minister has said. "Yes it is true," Bayan Jabor said when asked about a statement posted on an Islamist website on Tuesday. The minister said he had been notified that Zarqawi had been injured five days ago, but would not reveal his source. A statement posted on Thursday claiming al-Qaeda militants in Iraq had named an interim chief has been denied. Shadowy figure The denial was posted on a website often used by al-Qaeda after a statement appeared on a lesser known website saying that a new chief would take control while Zarqawi recovers from his wounds. The authenticity of either statement cannot be verified. The first statement identified the new deputy as Abu Hafs al-Qarni, a man it said had been handpicked by Zarqawi to carry out some of the most difficult insurgency operations in Iraq. Little is known about al-Qarni. The BBC's Caroline Hawley in Baghdad says it is very difficult to identify members of al-Qaeda's hierarchy as so many of them use aliases. Call for prayers Jordanian-born Zarqawi is blamed for some of the bloodiest assaults in Iraq. He has claimed scores of attacks against civilians and the security forces in Iraq, as well as the kidnapping and beheading of foreigners. He is the most wanted suspect in Iraq and has a US bounty of $25m on his head. Our correspondent says that if Zarqawi has been injured, or if he were to die, it would be good news for Iraq's interim government and the US-led coalition. However, it would be unlikely to spell an end to the insurgency, that has claimed the lives of hundreds in recent weeks, or even slow it down, she adds. The statements containing the reports of injury to Zarqawi and his temporary replacement both called on Muslims to pray for the regional al-Qaeda leader. "We will go on in our way of jihad until victory or martyrdom and we call upon Muslims to pray for the mujahideen and for the safety of our sheikh." Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/4581801.stm [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Take a look at donorschoose.org, an excellent charitable web site for anyone who cares about public education! http://us.click.yahoo.com/_OLuKD/8WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
