Print this page Monster betrayed by closest allies Martin Chulov, Middle East correspondent 09jun06
THE grey concrete facade was set back from the dusty streetside. It attracted little interest from people in the tiny town of Hibhib, who don't like dealing with strangers. It was the perfect base for an uprising. Until late Wednesday, there were perhaps no more than two dozen people who knew the occupants of the house, 65km northeast of Baghdad and 8km from the nearest town of Baquba. However, two of them were in the hands of coalition intelligence officials. Over the past month, the two key members of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's inner sanctum had been netted by Iraqi and American spies and had gradually begun to talk. They were caught during an intensified sweep that followed Zarqawi's debut propaganda video on April 26, which for the first time unmasked the Jordanian-born terrorist and gave glimpses of his surroundings. The video offered some trademark home touches, white curtains, carpets and distinctive cushions. A scene in which Zarqawi fired a machine gun in the desert also proved illuminating, with Jordanian spies saying it enabled them to pinpoint exactly where the footage was shot. Zarqawi had not quite painted a target on himself, but he had at least offered some handy reference points. One of the captives, a terrorist who had sworn loyalty to Zarqawi's al-Qa'ida in Mesopotamia, recognised the setting in the video, in which the pudgy terror leader sat cross-legged and stern-faced on a carpeted floor as he was briefed by a hooded acolyte. Zarqawi rarely spent more than two consecutive nights in the same safe house, travelling frequently throughout the restive area north of the capital, known throughout Iraq as the Sunni triangle. However, this was a venue he had used before. The following day, April 27, US officials found a critical intelligence booty, a video that contained out-takes from the edited version posted on the internet. They were to use the find for their own propaganda purposes, mocking Zarqawi for a scene in which his machinegun became jammed before he turned to an aide for help. The Americans also lambasted the man they described as the self-anointed ultimate warrior for wearing white tennis shoes with his black Jihadi outfit. But the fact that the US had found the video within a day said unambiguously that the coalition was hot on his tail. The world last heard from Zarqawi on June 1 in an audiotape posted on a noted Islamic website in which he slammed Shia Muslim clerics and renounced any reconciliation with them. By about the same time, officials were confident they had Zarqawi nailed to the northeast corner of the Sunni triangle. Unlike three occasions in 2004 and last year, there would be no escaping this time. Because of the video, the US had a real-time knowledge of his appearance. The Americans and the Iraqis they trained would not repeat the mistake made in late 2004 when he was captured by Iraqi security forces, then released because they failed to identify his distinguishing scars and tattoos. Early the following year, the US military stormed a hospital where Zarqawi was believed to have been treated for injuries caused during combat. Less than a month later, they again missed their quarry by minutes when he gave them the slip at a roadblock near the Euphrates river. The end began for the most wanted man in the Middle East three days ago when coalition forces zeroed in on Hibhib. Late on Wednesday afternoon, Iraqi time, two cars drove towards the home. From several kilometres out, Zarqawi's pursuers were sure he was among the passengers. But rather than risk missing him again, they opted to wait until he was inside the house. Several men emerged from the cars and walked quickly inside. It is understood one of the spies in place, either an electronic drone or a human source on the ground, confirmed Zarqawi was one of them. The bird was in the trap. By now, the highest levels of the US military machine and the CIA were in on the development. Authorisation was sought and quickly given for an air strike. With watch rooms in the CIA's headquarters, the Pentagon and Iraq Central Command fully staffed, two F-16 fighter jets, given grid references by special forces troops in the area, swept in, each dropping a laser-guided 220kg bomb. The house, and all inside it, was wiped out. However, Jordanian sources last night said Zarqawi did not die instantly. Though mortally wounded, he was alive when Iraqi and US troops arrived on the scene. His brutal reign ended 10 minutes after the bombs fell. Ten others died with him, among them a chief aide and two women. Late last night, al-Qa'ida in Iraq used the same website that had broadcast the fateful April video to announce Zarqawi's death. "We herald the martyrdom of our mujahid (warrior) Sheik Abu Musab al- Zarqawi in Iraq ... and we stress we this is an honour to our nation," said a statement signed by Zarqawi's deputy, Abu Abdul Rahman al-Iraqi. privacy terms © The Australian ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Protect your PC from spy ware with award winning anti spy technology. It's free. http://us.click.yahoo.com/97bhrC/LGxNAA/yQLSAA/KlSolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~- > Yahoo! Groups Links ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get to your groups with one click. 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