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| Terror Networks | ||||
| Zarqawiâs a $25,000,000 man | ||||
| 2003-10-30 | ||||
| Wonât his imam be proud of him. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, believed by U.S. officials to be the leading al-Qaida figure operating inside Iraq, has quietly joined the exclusive list of terrorists who has a $25 million reward on his head. He joins only Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden and bin Ladenâs two deputies, Ayman al Zawahiri and Saif al-Adil, on that elite list. Worst of the worst. Guess heâs moving up the food chain these days ... THE FIVE MEN are on the U.S. governmentâs Rewards for Justice Web site, along with several others whose capture would bring lesser rewards. Most, but not all, of the others are lesser lights in al-Qaida and other terror groups. Zarqawi, a 37-year-old Jordanian, was added on Tuesday, said one U.S. official, who spoke to NBC on condition of anonymity. There had not been any reward on his head until that point. The move suggested Zarqawi is now seen as one of the leading suspects in the wave of bombings in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq. âWe really want this guy,â said the official, adding that the U.S. intelligence community is not certain where he is operating, but that he appears to move frequently between Iraq and Iran. I guess that fits with the Farsi for "in custody" these days ...
Wow, he beats Mugniyeh for the top spot. What a swell guy ... Even Saddamâs two sons, Uday and Qusay Hussein, carried only $15 million rewards on their heads. An Iraqi has been paid $30 million for information that led to the attacks that killed the two and Qusayâs son earlier this year in Mosul. Zarqawi is believed to be a member of both al-Qaida and Ansar al-Islam, U.S. officials said. âItâs like being a member of the Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce,â said another U.S. official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. âBeing a member of one doesnât preclude membership in the other.â Especially when the former runs the latter as a subsidiary. A longtime follower of bin Laden, Zarqawi was severely wounded in the U.S. attacks on Afghanistan last year and lost a leg. He reportedly received medical attention in Baghdad after escaping from Afghanistan through Iran. In the wanted poster on the governmentâs Web site, Zarqawi is described as having had âa long-standing connection to senior al-Qaida leadership and appears to be highly regarded among al-Qaida and a close associate of Osama bin Laden and Saif al-Adil,â the al-Qaidaâs military commander. They had tea together back February to talk about starting the current troubles weâre having in Iraq since their Euro plots had fizzled. U.S. intelligence believes the Jordanian planned and helped execute the assassination of Laurence Foley, the U.S. AID official, in Amman last October. Prior to the Iraq war, Zarqawi gained notoriety when administration officials, including Secretary of State Powell in his U.N. speech on Feb. 5, cited his ability to get medical attention in Baghdad as evidence of a connection between Iraq and al-Qaida. That belief was not shared by all in the intelligence community, and congressional investigators have subsequently cast doubt on the quality of the information about Iraq gathered by the administration ahead of the war.
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| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #9 $25 million for his head? How much for the rest of him? |
| Posted by: Chemist 2003-10-30 4:05:17 PM |
| #8 Sir! I have received a hot tip on the whereabouts of Sadaam! Great, Smithers! Have you notified our superiors? Who, sir? The CIA...the Presi-- No! You FOOL!! The Saudi's! Notify them immediately. |
| Posted by: anon 2003-10-30 1:26:51 PM |
| #7 the Rewards for Justice site, which is managed by the State Departmentâs Diplomatic Security Service and the FBI. pshaw...no wonder they can't find them. |
| Posted by: B 2003-10-30 1:02:25 PM |
| #6 Lindsey probably had her implants taken out... Actuallly, she's doing matress commercials now. Still looks hot. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2003-10-30 12:46:54 PM |
| #5 LOL! Good call! |
| Posted by: .com 2003-10-30 12:43:59 PM |
| #4 Lindsey probably had her implants taken out... |
| Posted by: snellenr 2003-10-30 12:17:05 PM |
| #3 Of course! Inflation! So by now he's prolly on-par with $25M - good for Steve! Hmmm... think he's part of the Conspiracy? Now I'm wondering about Lindsey, the $6M Woman... I hope they didn't get her stuff on sale (the Shopping Geneâ¢) cuz that would mess the calculations up pretty badly. I hope the reward helps to nail this asshat. |
| Posted by: .com 2003-10-30 11:00:34 AM |
| #2 $25,000,000 is the going rate once you factor in inflation -- according to the Inflation Calculator. Steve Austin first appeared in 1973, and $6 million then is equivalent to $24.8 million in 2002 (the last year the calculator suppports). |
| Posted by: snellenr 2003-10-30 9:10:07 AM |
| #1 Poor Steve Austin. |
| Posted by: .com 2003-10-30 4:09:56 AM |