Wasn't Zarqawi on a stretcher when he died? He isn't in the photo:

[originalpckelly]

So is that a stretcher? It looks like ground to me. So did they like take him off the stretcher when he died and put him on the ground to take the photo?

Now, I personally hate conspiracy theories and that kind of stuff, but I am NOT saying anything other than what they said to us. They said this photo was taken when Mr. Zarqawi was dead. He died strapped to a stretcher in their version of events. Now in the background, I can't see a stretcher, it looks like a bunch of rocks on the ground to me. I didn't say this they did. So what happened here? Do you think he is on the ground or a stretcher?

[originalpckelly]

1. In this picture he definitely is on a stretcher:

[originalpckelly]

8. What the hell is wrong with these people?

Can't they ever do anything right? I mean this is a good chance for propaganda against the enemy in Iraq, might just screw with their minds and demoralize them, so we can get our troops out sooner, and they fuck it up!

[zbdent]

13. So he's "dead" in both pictures . . . right?

so they wiped off the blood before they laid him on the ground to take the pic in the OP, right?

[eleny]

2. I guess they took him off the stretcher to beat the crap out of him

[Jigarotta]

3. as I recall, he tried to escape from the stretcher.

which would mean he made the attempt before the straps were applied.
then he fell dead in the rubble.

hell, I dunno. who does.

[The Straight Story]

4. Simplest answer - a photo before he was on stretcher, and someone thought

he was dead in it.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[KoKo]

6. Here's the AP Blurb about him trying to get off the stretcher:

Zarqawi lived briefly after attack

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A mortally wounded Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was still alive and mumbling after American airstrikes on his hideout and tried to get off a stretcher when he became aware of U.S. troops at the scene, a top military official said Friday.

http://news.yahoo.com /


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So, they must have taken him off the stretcher after he died and placed him back in the spot where he was orginally found for that photo of the ground and blood around his head to be accurate. :eyes:

[JohnnyRingo]

7. Maybe by "stretcher" they mean some sort of torture device

Seriously, when I hear "official" reports on anything Iraq I believe little to nothing. The truth usually follows White House "facts" by about a week.

[MADem]

9. The topmost pic looks like a morgue shot to me

Perhaps on a concrete slab. He's clearly been cleaned up, the blood has been washed off his face and it looks like the blood is starting to settle on the underside of his body, as the face is looking pale. His mouth has been closed and his lips may have been superglued shut.

[Atman]

10. Why are his eyes already closed in the first pic?

Your eyes OPEN when you die, as you lose muscle control. Maybe he isn't dead in these pics after all, just unconscious.

[deaniac21]

14. My dad died in my arms on September 18 this year and his eyes

closed and stayed that way. His mouth opened up though. This isn't a pleasant memory for me but wanted you to know that what you say is not true.

[MADem]

18. No, when people die in sleep, their eyes are closed.

It's entirely possible that someone closed them, as well.

[me b zola]

16. What I find strange

I think that it is strange that in the "cleaned up" photo, his head is laying in a pool of blood. In the "before clean up/right after death" photo whatever the white thing that he is laying on has no blood on it.

[MADem]

17. They might have embalmed him, or desanguinated him during autopsy

The former is unlikely, but if they are shipping his body to Jordan to family for burial, it's not a bad idea to drain the blood. Makes it easier to wrap and pack...

It could also be that the faint "blood" you see on the slab behind his head is a mixture of clotted blood and warm water used to clean off his wounds.

And on edit; you really have to turn that photo to see the proper angle it was taken from. Tilt your head to the right, and orient the side of the face opposite the wound at the BOTTOM of the shot. A lot of what looks like blood could indeed be shadow.

[Imalittleteapot]

11. The frame pisses me off.

Who frames a picture of a dead man? It will look nice over the mantle in the Oval Office, don't you think?:puke:

[originalpckelly]

12. I know, and gold too. Who does that?

Maybe they are leftovers from the Saddam days.

[MADem]

19. Some bastard who wants to swipe the frame later, after the hoopla

dies down!

[lyonn]

15. That's not a rock, it's a skull flap

The mark that was on forhead was where the bullet went in and blew out the back. I'm not being serious but with the news being what it is it's as good a story as any. Super glue on eyes.

[countryjake]

20. CNN is now questioning whether or not Iraqi police shot him dead...

American forensics are saying no, there's no evidence of that, but they are also questioning whether or not he may have been outside when the bombs hit and wondering if he was wearing that suicide belt he was claimed to always have on.

This, combined with yesterday's Pentagon briefing that said he had massive injuries to his torso, makes me doubt we will ever find out how he actually died (mangled torso makes finding a bullet wound practically impossible). At least, now the media is putting forward questions, which is an improvement from yesterday's ding-dong the witch is dead show.