IRAQ'S MOST WANTED 'HURT'
 Iraq's most wanted man, insurgent leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi, has been wounded, according to an al Qaeda website. Al Zarqawi is suspected of being behind the beheading of British hostage Ken Bigley and the death of aid worker Margaret Hassan. "O nation of Islam... Pray for the healing of our Sheikh Abu Musab al-Zarqawi from an injury he suffered in the path of God," said a statement from the al Qaeda Organisation for Holy War in Iraq.
| They wouldn't comment on it if it wasn't serious. One thing they are reliable about is lamenting the fallen "warriors". |
The statement, posted by the group's media coordinator, Abu Maysarah al Iraqi, did not say how or when al Zarqawi was injured. Al Iraqi is known to be the group's media coordinator, but there was no way to confirm if he had posted the statement himself. Al Zarqawi has claimed responsibility for scores of attacks against Iraqi civilians and security forces, as well as kidnappings. There is a $25m bounty on his head. "Let the near and far know that the injury of our leader is an honour, and a cause to close in on the enemies of God, and a reason to increase the attacks against them," the statement said.
| "Win one for the Zaripper!" |
In Baghdad, Lieutenant Colonel Steve Boylan, spokesman for US forces in Iraq, said: "We have no information on whether he's wounded or what the state of his health is." He also said that such reports had been heard frequently before and were almost impossible to verify. "This could be another one of their ploys, you never know," he added. The Pentagon in Washington said it had no basis to confirm or deny the story.
Get in There! |
