U.S. 'just missed' capturing al-Zarqawi

[ECH1969]

U.S. forces "just missed" capturing terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in a gunfight over the weekend in the northern city of Mosul, U.S. military sources told NBC News on Monday.

The military had intelligence that indicated al-Zarqawi was meeting with high-level al-Qaida in Iraq lieutenants, a Pentagon source said.

As soldiers closed in on the site, there was an exchange of small arms fire, then it appears the three al-Qaida suspects blew themselves up to avoid capture.

"The information was solid. We just missed him," said one Pentagon source.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10107233/

[babylonsister]

1. Yawn...again? nt

[pinniped]

2. I think these Goebbels wannabes tried this story earlier this year.

I think I made reference to the Godfather and his big mob boss meeting.

[obreaslan]

6. Do you mean this...

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/06/25/iraq.main/

I think they just reprinted it a year later...

[obreaslan]

8. I'm sorry, or this from April of 2005....

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2005-04-26-zarqawi_x.htm

[pinniped]

13. Well, I'm not an official but I do know how he allegedly escaped.

This was the incident where he rolled out of a bullet-riddled taxi-cab traveling at 50+mph. Al-Zarqawi then proceeded to dematerialize right before the shooters' very eyes. His notebook puter was left behind because it is not made of living cells and can not dematerialize. Yes, his clothes was left behind with the notebook puter as it too is not made of living cells.

--The official, who discussed the operation on the condition of anonymity, could provide no details on how Zarqawi escaped. U.S. forces recovered a computer belonging to Zarqawi, the official said, although he did not say how it was obtained.--

Let's see these alleged "My Pictures" from the alleged bogeyman's alleged notebook puter. There must be lots of pics of him in nice countries judging how busy he's been lately, you know, running around the entire Northern Hemisphere and all.

BS.BS.BS.BS.BS.BS.BS.BS.BS.BS............

--NBC, quoting U.S. military sources, reported Tuesday that among the items seized with the laptop were several small plug-in hard drives. Numerous pictures of Zarqawi were found in the computer's "My Pictures" file, the network said.--

[pinniped]

9. Thanks, looks like all they did was change the city.

At first he was "believed" to have ties to al-Qaeda, that wasn't enough so he went from a simple belief to become al-Qaeda in Iraq's supreme commander.

--BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A coalition strike Friday in Fallujah might have come close to killing Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born Islamic militant believed to have ties to al Qaeda, a senior Defense Department official said.--

[dkofos]

3. Missed him by that much

But they did get three #2 guys

[OldLeftieLawyer]

14. No, I think

they got two #3 guys.

It all works out the same.

[Colonel Bat Guano]

27. Missed him by that much...

So I'm not the only one who is reminded of GET SMART these days?

The other Don Adams catch phrase we get just about daily fromt these guys: "Would you believe....?"

Bush's press conference sprint to a locked door is classic Agent 86.

[Yupster]

31. Same thing I thought of

Missed him by that much.

Better bring in the Cone of Silence to go over the details.

[0007]

38. No code of silence at the Democratic party in Midland Texas

where you refuse to show yourself, Mr. Yupster.

[0007]

39. I have a "Texas Democrat" bumper sticker for you.

[thebigidea]

4. how is the information solid if there's no proof he was there?

oh yeah, I forgot: no proof of Zarqawi is routinely held up as, uh, proof of Zarqawi.

[marmar]

5. I'm sure we'll just miss him again next week....

Either our intelligence sucks OR this was a huge pile of dinosaur shit to begin with. (Or perhaps both.)

[katinmn]

7. After all the work making al-Zarqawi a household name

they aren't likely to capture him.

Why doesn't junior ever talk about OBL?

[leesa]

12. I wonder when he can stop talking about Zarqawi, I want a new Boogie Man!

I'm paying for this folly...I demand a new Goldstein at LEAST annually.

[ECH1969]

15. Is Zarqawi a household name?

I don't think he is. Is Bin Laden?

[katinmn]

25. Yes, he has been elevated to most well-known terrorist.

Most people recognize the name because it is touted so frequently by the WH and Pentagon.

[tularetom]

10. We can't pull out of Iraq now

After all, we almost caught Zarqawi. I'll bet if we stay another year we'll almost catch him 10 or 12 more times. Plus we'll kill his No. 2 man at least twice. What a steaming crock of bullshit.

[obreaslan]

16. Exactly....

We've almost had him three times in the last 18 months, think of what we could do with 10 or 12 more years. We could seriously inconvenience him by then!

[LiberalFighter]

61. Would have success if only Bush would go over and capture him

[jobycom]

11. Here's my post from yesterday. Genius, aren't I? (or they are predictable)

I don't think Al Zarqawi was there, and I don't think they thought he was there. This is like all those stories about how certain they were that they had killed Hussein in the first bomb attack of the war, or that they'd killed Bin Laden when they murdered that poor farmer and his two sons with their unmanned drone. They just want Americans to say "Wow, look, they have a reason for all this stuff" and go back to watching Family Guy before BushCo quietly says "Well, we missed him, but it was close."

[tanyev]

17. Curses! Foiled again!

[Deja Q]

18. I didn't know dead men were hard to find

[Lochloosa]

24. Especially one legged dead men....

[underpants]

33. Correction

Zarqawi Eclipsing Bin Laden in Prominence
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,119700,00.html
In 1999, after being released from jail in Jordan, Zarqawi formed an alliance with bin Laden allowing Zarqawi to operate a training camp in Afghanistan for Arab fighters committed to the overthrow of Jordan's moderate monarchy.
During the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, Zarqawi is believed to have been badly wounded in a U.S. airstrike and fled to Iran. Later, he ended up in Baghdad, where Saddam's regime allowed him to recuperate for several months after having his leg amputated.

But check out how CNN spins itself into the ground trying to cover for Bush five weeks earlier
Tuesday, April 6, 2004
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/04/06/us.zarqawi/
A U.S. official said Tuesday that al-Zarqawi traveled to Baghdad in May 2002 for treatment of a leg injury but, contrary to previous reports, appears not to have had a leg amputated. The official would not discuss the reason for the change in assessment.
Al-Zarqawi, an associate of Osama bin Laden, had been named by the Bush administration as an al Qaeda member who fled to Iraq from Afghanistan in May 2002 for medical treatment and then stayed to organize terror plots. He came to Iraq with about two dozen al Qaeda terrorists, according to the administration.
Before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, President Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell and other administration officials pointed to intelligence that they said suggested al-Zarqawi had had his leg amputated in Baghdad.

Unfortunately a YEAR before that report CNN said:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/04/29/sprj.irq.terrorist.capture/index.html
Zarqawi was said to have received medical treatment in Baghdad in May and June of 2002 after being wounded in Afghanistan during the war. His leg was amputated, U.S. officials say, by a surgeon in Iraq.

[NYC]

74. That explains it.

He didn't have his leg amputated in second article because he had already had it amputated in the first article.

See how simple? As for the number of times his leg has grown back (not to mention the number of times he has died and come back to life), someone with a high speed connection will have to Google that. I'm on dial-up, so could be Googling the one leg/two leg thing for the next 17 years.

[underpants]

32. They aren't

Some Evidence Suggests Saddam Dead: Bush
Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, April 25, 2003
http://english.people.com.cn/200304/25/eng20030425_115783.shtml
US President Bush said in a television interview Thursday that there is some evidence suggesting Saddam Hussein is either dead or "at the very minimum was severely wounded." Bush also said US troops would remain in Iraq "as long as necessary."

DNA tests after missiles strike 'Saddam convoy'
Sunday June 22, 2003
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12239,982710,00.html
American specialists were carrying out DNA tests last night on human remains believed by US military sources to be those of Saddam Hussein and one of his sons, The Observer can reveal.

Officials suspect Saddam was killed in bombing
Posted 4/10/2003
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-04-10-saddam-usat_x.htm
WASHINGTON — U.S. intelligence has no clear information on Saddam Hussein's whereabouts, but the betting in the Pentagon's executive offices is that the Iraqi dictator lies dead under a pile of rubble in Baghdad, according to defense and intelligence officials.

But the theory given most credence is that Saddam died in Monday's bomber attack on a home near a Baghdad restaurant.
"The official take from the Pentagon is that Saddam is 'unfound,' " a senior defense intelligence official said on condition of anonymity. "Most along the E-Ring (the Pentagon's outermost hallway and executive suite) think he's under the rubble."
A Defense Department intelligence official said an abrupt end to an electronic intelligence intercept of Iraqi leadership conversations indicated that Saddam and his sons were at the site at the time of the bombing.
"The signal died when the bombs hit," the official said.

Saddam Captured 'Like a Rat' in Raid
Sunday, December 14, 2003
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,105706,00.html

Saddam Hussein arrested in Iraq
Sunday, 14 December, 2003, 17:04 GMT
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3317429.stm
______________________________________________________________
Pentagon: 'Chemical Ali' Killed in Attack
Tuesday, April 8, 2003
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/4/7/204930.shtml

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon believes "Chemical Ali," Saddam Hussein's cousin who ordered a chemical attack on Kurds in northern Iraq in 1988, is dead, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld confirmed Monday.

'Chemical Ali' reported dead
Monday, 7 April, 2003
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2925375.stm


Officials: Body of 'Chemical Ali' Found in Basra
Monday, April 07, 2003
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,83383,00.html


'Chemical Ali' Captured in Iraq
Thursday, August 21, 2003
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,95314,00.html


'Chemical Ali' in U.S. custody
Thursday, August 21, 2003
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/08/21/sprj.irq.chemical.ali/
DOHA, Qatar (CNN) -- Ali Hassan al-Majid, the Iraqi general known as "Chemical Ali," is in U.S. custody, military officials tell CNN.

[Evergreen Emerald]

19. It's a good thing they missed him...

otherwise they would have to invent another Al-Qaida terroist for us to focus on.

[imported_dem]

20. Nothing will happen with Zarqawi until October 2006

Just in time for the election, in an appearance to make it look "normal" when Diebold once again scams an election.

[shadowknows69]

21. I really can't take the BS anymore

My head is going to explode.

[katty]

44. Me too! "just missed"...!! lock up the chickenhawks

[rateyes]

22. "The information was solid..."

"Slam dunk." Where have I heard that before? But, I believe them this time, don't you? :sarcasm:

[rayofreason]

23. Just missed him...

...said Wile E. Coyote!

[shadowknows69]

42. Dick Cheney, Super Genius

n/t

[deminks]

26. D'oh.

Guess he lived to "fight another day.":sarcasm:

[Lithos]

28. Gosh, and I just missed winning the lottery

Got one number out of six last time I played.

L-

[demobrit]

29. Miss information , Propaganda ,who to believe.

They have him , they just missed him , the man with nine lives , well how many lives does he have?
The killing goes on , that is what we see and know .
Both our countries have the power to end our part in the killing now
by withdrawing.

[wookie294]

30. When will MSM start questioning the veracity of these bogus Zarqawi claims

I admit I love this Zarqawi shit. It's funny as hell. Our military is run by a bunch of comical hillbillies who can't even lie competently.

[Selteri]

34. Whoops, guess that dead body must be someone elses. (Darn)

Boy, they'll have to kill a #2 man again to make up for it this week.. heck,maybe 2 #2s and a #3 for good measure!

[salin]

35. funny the ridicule of Clinton for missing Osama - on one try, while praise

for bush for repeatedly missing, but being "close" on many, many tries and during a war.

Not to mention how absurd it is that we keep hearing what sounds like a repeat of the same (dare we call it propoganda) story.

[Arugula Latte]

36. Wow, apparently the Roadrunner's got nothing on al-Zarqawi.

:eyes:

[yellowcanine]

37. I thought he was dead. How hard can it be to capture a dead person?

[superconnected]

40. Wish he'd finall.y die like arafat. Oh wait the bush admin needs him too

much. Must keep making crap up and bringing him back.

[democracy eh]

41. Ohh, and I missed him again!

Canadians of a certain age will get this joke
(maybe just Ontarians)

kind of like the Snufalufagous on Sesame Street

[daleo]

60. It's Polkaroo! n/t

[The Sleeper]

43. I just missed winning the lottery too...

....only needed 6 more numbers....

.......and to buy a ticket.....

[Texifornia]

45. Me too!

Every number they called could have easily been one of my numbers. You know, if I actually had any numbers.

Damn! So close!

[Shakespeare]

46. Welcome to the "Get Smart" approach to the war on terror.

"We missed him by THIS much!"

Sigh. My government has become as derivative as a bad sitcom.

[raysr]

47. Did they think this might

spike the monkey's poll numbers?? ROFLMAO

[damntexdem]

48. What, and they didn't even get his #3?

Seems like the U.S. troops are off their game -- or at least the U.S. spin-meisters are.

[daleo]

49. Nothing here to indicate they "just missed" Zarqawi

"U.S. military feels it 'just missed' him" - that's about all I see. A "feeling" that they just missed him.

Using "feelings" as a basis for military intelligence reminds me of the book "The Men Who Stare at Goats", which I have just started and heartily recommend. Just looking for an excuse to plug the book, I guess.

[truthisfreedom]

50. blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

[silvermachine]

51. Maybe he's Roky Erickson in disguise...

You're Gonna Miss Me Georgie...

[flayellowdog]

52. When the polls suck!

Every time the numbers suck, they come up with this shit. I'll bet we go to code violet or something soon. :banghead: They are playing the distraction card.

[1620rock]

72. ...yeah, and the gas prices go down too when the pools suck.

[mtnester]

53. Iraq - the most haunted place in the world

where Zarqawi dies and is resurrected repeatedly, only to be narrowly missed. You would think the fundies would have noticed his many resurrections by now.

The whole thing sounds like a Voodoo foot race to me.

[LibertyorDeath]

58. A one legged "Voodoo foot race"

:)

[mtnester]

71. OK....THAT was funny n/t

[LibertyorDeath]

54. Zarqawi announces retirement from US military intelligence

says he's tired of being "Almost Caught"

and wasn't fond of being killed on multiple occasions.

"After all there's only so much propaganda a good agent can take"

[LibertyorDeath]

57. "His leg remains missing and is still considered a threat"

Breaking hard al-Zarqawi Still Dead (Again)


Abu Musab al-Zarqawi who was dead, then wasn't, then was dead again

is still dead.

When reached for comment a Pentagon official who wished to remain anonymous said

"His leg remains missing and is still considered a threat"

he added "We almost caught it our intel was Solid"

[oregonindy]

55. LOL.....and they want us to believe crap like this?? he's been dead awhile

[LibertyorDeath]

56. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Dead (Again)

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi who was dead, then wasn't, then was dead again, then wasn't, then was captured, then wasn't, then was shot, then maybe wasn't, is now dead again. The Friday rumor dejour is that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi died Friday in Fallujah...

http://wizbangblog.com/archives/006093.php

[Chicago Democrat]

59. Then you are fairly incompetant idiots aren't you?

Why the hell would you even anounce this.



Ooops DUh, Duh, hu, he, he woops, darn!

[PassingFair]

62. Where's MoPauls "Super Zarqawi"?

Anyone?
I miss that graphic!
You've gotta admire a no-legged man with a "sucking chest wound" who manages to evade the imperial storm troopers at every turn!

[AlCzervik]

63. The reason why they haven't caught him is because they are lacking the

proper equipment, if had they this with them--well the problem would be solved.

[Dances with Cats]

64. But!

Uday and Qusay are STILL dead.

[HockeyMom]

65. How many times did they just "miss" BINLADEN???

They need to keep the bogey men ALIVE for propaganda purposes.

[Initech]

66. It seems like we're "almost missing" al-Zarqawi on a daily basis...

:puffpiece: :eyes:

[yasmina27]

67. Just like they

"just missed" Usama in Tora Bora.

Ain't it convenient!

[Zhade]

68. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

:eyes:

[madmark]

69. I am so sick of this pumping up of Zarqawi; its like the US Gov is

his publicist. His life or death makes no difference to the Iraqi insurgency which is home-fucking grown; the foriegn jihadists are bit players. OBL is the fucker that earned his infamy and we should be doing nothing other than spending 24/7 trying to get him.

[ECH1969]

73. UBL is in a cave in the middle of nowhere

Zarqawi is the one bombing hotels in Middle Eastern nations. There is a reason the media has been focusing on one and not the other and you do know that the Afghan insurgency is 95% Talaban.

[SoCalDem]

70. Aaaw shucks.. (for the 9th time) n/t

[Darranar]

75. Victory is around the corner, no doubt. n/t

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

76. Did we capture his fake leg this time?

[sofa king]

80. I heard that when Zarqawi is in danger of being captured...

...his leg detaches itself and wiggles on the ground, distracting his pursuers.

[pinniped]

83. al-Zarqawi is part reptile.

They will never catch him because of his reptilian characteristics.

[LisaL]

77. How nice. Now we get to kill him again. And again. And again.

[Ouabache]

78. drat, the luck

At least he hasn't had an escape on a motorcycle, YET, like the motorcycle escape that Osama did. I don't think we will get either of these guys until we get Indiana Jones over there after him.

[Thom Little]

79. * is getting awfully good at "just missing" this guy

[against all enemies]

81. This years WMDs. We got them, er ,him. We're winning.

[HuffleClaw]

82. suuuuuuuuuure

what a complete crock. they aren't even trying anymore with this sad propaganda.

[oblivious]

84. "We seek him here, we seek him there,..."

"We seek him here, we seek him there,
Those Americans seek him everywhere.
Is he in heaven?--Is he in hell?
That demmed, elusive Pimpernel"

- Chapter 12 - The Scarlet Pimpernel
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/People/rgs/scarp-table.html

From the OP article: "Of course, his days are numbered, we are after him, we are getting ever closer,” Khalilzad said.

From Chapter 24 of the book:

Escape for him and them would be impossible. All the roads patrolled and watched, the trap well set, the net, wide at present, but drawing together tighter and tighter, until it closed upon the daring plotter, whose superhuman cunning even could not rescue him from its meshes now.