Hibhib, Iraq: "al-Zarqawi Followers: He Was Killed in Clashes after Raid and Four Leaders Escaped; No US Infiltration of Organization. al-Quds al-arabi Visited Ruins of his House in Hibhib and Met Eyewitnesses"
al-Quds al-arabi (Internet Version-WWW)
Members of al-Qa'ida Organization in the Land of the Two Rivers have stated that abu-Mus'ab al-Zarqawi was killed during an exchange of fire with the US forces following the raid on his house in Hibhib area (50 km north of Baghdad) in which he was severely injured.
Eyewitnesses in the Hibhib area asserted to al-Quds al-arabi correspondent who inspected the site of the raid that they heard the sound of clashes after the raid.
(abu-Muhammad), who identified himself as a member of al-Zarqawi's group, asserted that four organization leaders who were at a meeting with al-Zarqawi in the house escaped from the raid and left the place on abu-Mus'ab's orders so as to avoid being captured by the US forces.
al-Quds al-arabi correspondent inspected al-Zarqawi's house that is located in the countryside near al-Dujayl town on the eastern bank of the Tigris River. The area is famous for its fields and palm trees. The house, which had five rooms, was damaged extensively, especially at the rear that included the bedrooms and the house inhabitants.
(abu-Muhammad) said al-Zarqawi ordered his followers to continue the jihad operations against the US occupation and to continue their oath of loyalty to Shaykh Usama Bin Ladin. He added that three of al-Zarqawi's comrades left the house half an hour before the shelling but stressed all of them were loyal to al-Zarqawi and the possibility of one of them being loyal to the United States is unbelievable as they are mujahidin who started the jihad since the occupation of Iraq and the majority of them want to exact revenge from the United States because the occupation killed a number of their relatives. This refutes the reports of a US infiltration of the organization.
One of the area's residents said he saw three men leave the area in an Opel car and said he was surprised that an important person like al-Zarqawi was in that house. The eyewitness, who is called abu-ali, added that he heard the sound of heavy gunfire for about 50 minutes after the air raid and this was followed by the extensive deployment of US and Iraqi forces that prevented the inhabitants from leaving their houses but heard Iraqi soldiers shouting that al-Zarqawi was in that house; we killed al-Zarqawi.
Heavy tension prevailed in the area after this report and people were surprised when many gunmen came out of the fields in dismay asking how can al-Zarqawi be among us and get killed?
(Description of Source: London al-Quds al-arabi (Internet Version-WWW) in arabic -- London-based independent arab nationalist daily with an anti-US and anti-Saudi editorial line; generally pro-Palestinian, tends to be sympathetic to Bin-Ladin)
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