Big Fish: Senior Qaeda thug killed in Iraq
posted at 9:38 am on May 3, 2007 by Bryan
Worst job in Iraq: Being “second in command in al Qaeda.” Second worst job in Iraq: Being first in command in al Qaeda. Right after that, being a “senior figure in al Qaeda”. All of these jobs can be bad for your health.
U.S.-led forces conducting a crackdown on al-Qaida in Iraq killed a senior member of an insurgent group who was responsible for the high-profile kidnappings of several Westerners, a military spokesman said Thursday.
Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said the killing of Muharib Abdul-Latif al-Jubouri, described as al-Qaida’s information minister, had apparently led to confused reports that its top leader or the head of an umbrella group of insurgents had been killed.
Caldwell said the U.S. does not have the bodies of Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the head of the Islamic State of Iraq, or Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, and doesn’t know of “anybody that does.”
He said the military had conducted numerous operations against al-Qaida in Iraq in the last six days.
Al-Jubouri was killed while trying to resist detention in an operation about four miles west of the Taji air base north of Baghdad early Tuesday, and the body was initially identified by photos, then confirmed by DNA testing Wednesday, he said.
Al-Jubouri was believed to have been deeply involved with the kidnapping of Christian Science Monitor reporter Jill Carroll, who was released, and Tom Fox, one of four men from the Chicago-based peace group Christian Peacemaker Teams who was found fatally shot in Baghdad on March 10, 2006, he said. He was also involved in the kidnapping of two Germans in January 2006, Caldwell said.
Iraqi sites are reporting that Omar al-Baghdadi is also dead, but MNF-I hasn’t confirmed that. Likewise, there’s no confirmation yet as to the fate of Omar al-Masri, who was reported to have been killed a couple days ago.
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Another one bites the dust….
amerpundit on May 3, 2007 at 9:46 AM
Or, actually, sand…
amerpundit on May 3, 2007 at 9:47 AM
Reminds me of the old SNL bit about “Assistant Crack Whore” being the most dangerous job in America. (Norm MacDonald, Weekend Update, mid 90s)
Kid from Brooklyn on May 3, 2007 at 9:47 AM
Will the Democrats be sending a delegation to mourn the passing of their ally in this war?
fogw on May 3, 2007 at 9:56 AM
I love the smell of terrorists intestines spilled on the ground in the morning. Smells like…..VICTORY!
csdeven on May 3, 2007 at 9:59 AM
I’m waiting for the ABCNews.com banner headline:
Does it really matter that we kille an Al Qaeda Honcho?
While CNN tries desparately to find something that rhymes with “Muharib Abdul-Latif al-Jubouri” to put on their lower third.
Matticus Finch on May 3, 2007 at 9:59 AM
err…desperately.
Matticus Finch on May 3, 2007 at 10:00 AM
Score!
Lawrence on May 3, 2007 at 10:14 AM
The Al-Qaeda information minister?
Must… resist..
Reaps on May 3, 2007 at 10:17 AM
“Damn!” – Harry Reid (D-NV)
pistolero on May 3, 2007 at 10:23 AM
AQ?…in Irak?…everyone said there was no connection between AQ and Irak. I thought they all died in the hijacked planes?
Buck Turgidson on May 3, 2007 at 10:25 AM
Booyah!
The Machine on May 3, 2007 at 10:27 AM
May your 72 virgins be Rosie O’s.
infidel4life on May 3, 2007 at 10:34 AM
Matticus: do you think it matters? Is there a shortage of people willing to take this guy’s place?
More telling is the fact that the Iraqi legislature (what’s left of it) is taking a 2 month vacation. Being spectacularly ineffective must be tiring.
honora on May 3, 2007 at 10:40 AM
What caption would ABCNews put up there if General Petraeus were killed? Would that matter? I mean, there’s no shortage of people willing to take his place, right?
Of course it matters! For ABCNews to insert a leading editorial headline into a news story is absurd, especially when the body of the story didn’t address the headline at all.
Matticus Finch on May 3, 2007 at 10:47 AM
This was an actual ABC headline? That’s wasn’t clear. But my question is not about the headline, but does it matter that we took out another AQ leader? I don’t compare this guy to Petraeus in any event.
honora on May 3, 2007 at 10:54 AM
Display him in the center of town, marinating in a large glass vessel of pig’s blood.
Jaibones on May 3, 2007 at 10:55 AM
Yes, it was an actual headline yesterday on ABCNews.com. I only compare this guy and Petraeus in the sense that they’re both regarded as leaders of their respective forces.
To answer your question, yes and no. In my opinion, it does have a psychological impact on the insurgency, just as having a high-profile leader of our side killed in battle would affect our body politic in psychological and political ways here at home. That’s why insurgents try to kill high profile targets like Dick Cheney, Al Gore, George Bush Sr., etc. Of course it matters.
It doesn’t matter in the sense that there are people willing and able to fill his role, it’s just that their zeal for the cause might (hopefully) be diminished, especially in the lower ranks.
Matticus Finch on May 3, 2007 at 11:05 AM
In Leftist Lingo, this is known as an Extra-Judicial Execution.
franksalterego on May 3, 2007 at 11:14 AM
Matticus
Chill out dude, honora is just venting her frustration that we are running out of terrorists for her and her surrender monkey friends to surrender to.
Rock on……………..
doriangrey on May 3, 2007 at 11:23 AM
Something that always bugs me:
How? I mean does AQ keep a database?
- The Cat
MirCat on May 3, 2007 at 11:41 AM
Terrorists like Democratic presidentual candidates are similar to cockroaches. Hard to kill and they hide in the shadows.
William Amos on May 3, 2007 at 12:16 PM
And let me qualify that last remark. For democrats its vote out of office.
William Amos on May 3, 2007 at 12:17 PM
“The media are now hacks too” –Mr. Murtha
honora, I’m so glad you weren’t there to report on the 2nd WW setbacks, and there were thousands. We would have never had any encouragement. By “we” I mean the good side.
Entelechy on May 3, 2007 at 1:59 PM
You mean the war where 20% of the population was in uniform and we fought on 2 fronts, defeating the Japanese, Germans and Italians in less time than we have been in Iraq? The war where our military and manufacturing base was caught completely unprepared yet turned into the arsenal for democracy in months? The war where our President was the leader of the entire free world, admired and respected?
I really don’t think making any comparison between WWII and this imbroglio does anything but highlight how inferior and incompetent our “leadership” is today.
honora on May 3, 2007 at 2:27 PM
Above is 10, not 20.
honora on May 3, 2007 at 2:31 PM
Honora, the answer to your question is that it’s not a good question. I’m going to offer candidly that it probably takes considerable intelligence, discipline, and experience to run a terrorist organization well. A better question would have been, “Is there a shortage of people with what it takes to do this guy’s job, who are willing to take his place?”
I’m also going to credit al-Qaeda with having the good sense to put in their top positions the members they think are best-qualified to fill them. So an even better question would have been, “Is there a shortage of people willing to take this guy’s place, who have abilities to match those al-Qaeda must have attributed to him?”
Honora, the problem with the equality of all mankind is that it’s a quite limited equality. People are equal in rights of life, liberty, and estate, but not much else. With that in mind, the best defense I can give of the Americans’ effort to minimize muslim casualties is that they’re properly focusing on eliminating the most intelligent and talented muslims. If the Americans kill enough of those, it’s possible the rest won’t matter very much.
Kralizec on May 3, 2007 at 2:54 PM
I do think the Americans should crush Islam the way their ancestors, whom you mention, crushed national socialism and the worshippers of the Japanese emperor. I think that’s much safer than the gentle approach they’re taking with Islam, which resembles more their soft treatment of international socialism than their harsh treatment of national socialism.
Kralizec on May 3, 2007 at 3:03 PM
honora, I repeat that I like your wit sometimes, and that you’ve amused me, often.
However, please compare what I focused on. I already know how much you despise/resent/disrespect this president and you could have saved 2/3rds of your reply.
1. I didn’t compare the wars (style, tactics, times, technology, equipment, -fare, etc.) These are two distinctly different wars, and I’d say this one is way more complex and will take many, many years, potentially half or 2/3rds of the years the cold war took.
2. During the 2nd war the populace was united and not as crazy as it is today, you included when you can think straight, which I know you are fully capable of doing.
Personal advice – your arguments w/b so much stronger if you could stick to the topic. You tend to jump all over just to repeat for the mpteenth time how ‘incompetent’ you find this admin. to be. If I would be crazy I’d wish for your side to win in 2008, just to prove to you that they couldn’t do much better. This menace will not go away, and no matter who will be president is going to have to fight it. For all our sake, I will fight hard to keep your ninnies out, at least where it counts, CiC. That way, you and me will be safe to ‘battle’ here, versus in some other dark place, if at all. Sincerely, and without malice,
Entelechy on May 3, 2007 at 3:13 PM
The nice thing is that as we continue to take out these individuals, it will continually degrade their ability to perform operations.
You are on point here. I don’t believe that during WW2, at any point, you had anyone in Congress calling the war lost, just to score political points and try to gain/keep power for their party. At least back then, Republican and Democrats recognized the threat to the nation and worked together to defeat it.
coyoterex on May 3, 2007 at 3:46 PM
You are correct and if the democrat leadership was not so inferior and incompetent this would have been over long ago. Even a mule can not kick and pull at the same time.
Wade on May 3, 2007 at 4:06 PM
Oh bullshit. The Dems have been in power since January–all of 4 months. What exactly has Bush tried or wanted to do that the Dems have blocked? Long ago my ass. Wake up.
honora on May 3, 2007 at 4:22 PM
Nice language. It has nothing to do with the socialist democrats in power it has to do with their poor leadership catering to far left anti-Americans, such as yourself. It has to do with undermining the commander-in-chief in war time. Undermining the troops for political gain. Read history and learn from it. It is obvious “long ago my ass” you were not paying attention.
Wade on May 3, 2007 at 4:54 PM
this is fishing season
Drtuddle on May 3, 2007 at 7:20 PM