BBC: Zarqawi forced out as head of al Qaeda in Iraq, Islamist claims

[BurtWorm]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4872236.stm

Zarqawi 'not leading Iraq unrest'

Jordanian al-Qaeda militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been forced to step down as leader of a coalition of Iraqi militants, a leading Islamist claims.

Huthaifa Azzam, whose father was a mentor of Osama Bin Laden, said Zarqawi was replaced by an Iraqi two weeks ago.

Mr Azzam claimed some were unhappy about Zarqawi's tactics and tendency to speak for the insurgency as a whole.

However, experts say choosing an Iraqi as political leader is a tactic aimed at giving the insurgency an Iraqi face.

'Embarrassment'

The new political leader of the coalition of insurgent groups - of which Zarqawi is part - is Abdullah al-Baghdadi, Mr Azzam said.

He said that the move was in part prompted by embarrassment at Zarqawi's attacks on other countries, such as last year's hotel bombings in Jordan, and his use of brutal tactics, such as videotaped beheadings....

[monktonman]

1. to be replaced by number three man

[bryant69]

2. OK.

I don't know I never imagined the Insurgency (or whatever you prefer to call it) was all that unified. I mean just from my vantage point, it strikes me that there are several different groups who all have different ideas and goals. The only think keeping them together would be their dislike of us - but even that might not be enough in some cases.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[ugarte]

3. Replaced by Abdullah al-Baghdadi...AKA Big Daddy...nt

[saltpoint]

4. The bad news is he's out of a job in Iraq.

The good news is, he may get the FEMA gig.

[BurtWorm]

7. If anything goes wrong THIS hurricane season

heads will roll...

:hide:

[saltpoint]

9. LOL!!

:thumbsup:

:hi:

[meegbear]

5. First the White House, now al Qaeda ...

Is NO job secure?

[sabra]

6. LOL - now that's good.

[shain from kane]

8. Starting the alphabet over. Kicked to the end of the line. n/t

[JeffR]

10. Zarqawi's press secretary, Scoti al-Clellan

told the press today that Zarqawi "wants to spend more time with his family"

[NNN0LHI]

11. Does he get to keep his old pay grade? n/t

[pinniped]

12. First they tell the sheep this supposed al-Zarqawi dude is supposedly....

in charge of this so-called al-Qaeda in Iraq, now he's supposedly NOT leading Iraq's unrest.

Could that be because he doesn't fucking exist?

I call BS for several reasons:

- No one would dare challenge the almighty al-Zarqawi to step down. Doing so could cause the loss of one's head.

- No one could communicate with him to ask him to step down because he doesn't exist.

- They've spent a couple years pinning every single attack on the planet on this mythical al-Zarqawi dude. All that good propaganda took a lot of resources and money, it can't go to waste.

- Al-Zarqawi has name recognition. Sheep shudder in fear at the mere mention of his name.

[leesa]

13. Does he still get to stay dead? White House/Al Qaeda?? What's the diff?

They seem to just be recruitment tools for the same group objective...sell as many killing toys and fuel to run them as possible