Jordan’s King Abdullah: Troops Close to Finding al-Zarqawi
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James Joyner | Wednesday, December 8, 2004 |
Jordan’s king says troops tracking al-Zarqawi ‘getting close’ (CNN)
Jordanian King Abdullah II said forces in Iraq are “getting close” to capturing terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. “He’s slipped through the net once or twice where we got closer to him than he would have liked,” Abdullah told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday. “The Iraqis, Jordanians and coalition forces are working very hard to track him down — and we’re getting close.” The king said he based his assessment on “hard intelligence.”
Al-Zarqawi is the Jordanian-born militant wanted for fueling the insurgency in Iraq and in connection with the beheadings of several Western hostages.
The king said the search is ongoing and al-Zarqawi is a difficult man to track “in very difficult circumstances.” Abdullah described al-Zarqawi as constantly on the move. He also said al-Zarqawi is thought to be inside Iraq after fleeing Falluja ahead of the latest U.S.-led assault on the city. “He’s under pressure,” Abdullah said.
The United States has offered a $25 million reward for the capture or killing of al-Zarqawi. He is accused of leading a terrorist network inside Iraq that has carried out numerous attacks against Iraqi civilians and U.S. military personnel and has kidnapped and beheaded numerous hostages. His group changed its name from Unification and Jihad to the Base of Jihad after al-Zarqawi recently pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden, leader of al Qaeda, which is Arabic for “the base.” Abdullah said there is a link between al-Zarqawi and al Qaeda, but described it as a “loose association.”
Interesting.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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How the hell would he know how colse we are to al zarqawi?
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