Pakistani Military Sources Say Zawahiri May Be Dead

[ECH1969]

Today, according to Pakistani military sources, U.S. aircraft attacked a compound known to be frequented by high level al Qaeda operatives. Pakistani officials tell ABC News that al Qaeda leader Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant, may have been among them.

U.S. intelligence for the last few days indicated that Zawahiri might be in the location or about to arrive, although there is still no confirmation from U.S. officials that he was among the victims.

Eighteen people were killed, according to the villagers who said women and children were among the fatalities. But Pakistani officials tell ABC News that five of those killed were high-level al Qaeda figures, and their bodies are now undergoing forensic tests for positive identification.

Pakistani officials tell ABC News that the bodies of the five suspected al Qaeda figures will be recovered at first light in Pakistan, but it will still take a day or two for any kind of positive identification. U.S. officials in Washington did not provide a comment.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=1504096

[babydollhead]

1. again?

[Igel]

4. Not really an "again".

Zawahri, Egyptian. #2 in AQ-Central.

Zarqawi. From a little burg known as Zarqaa in Jordan (hence his nomme de guerre: it means "the man from Zarqaa"). Self-proclaimed #1 in the Mesopotamian AQ branch office.

[thebigidea]

97. yes really an "again." They claimed it a while back.

Same bluster from the Pakistani generals. Ended up being some "low level" guys. The Post was screaming: "TARGET: ZAWAHRI" in their shitty 32985692365point font.

[tocqueville]

2. again ? or was it Al Zarquawi ? n/t

[Tempest]

3. Different guy

http://www.fbi.gov/mostwant/terrorists/teralzawahiri.htm

[tocqueville]

14. I know

but for George they all look the same. Before being elected he didn't even know who was the president of Pakistan...

[IndianaGreen]

5. Haven't we heard this shit before?

The last time they claimed to have performed DNA testing of an Al-Qaeda #2, not Zawahiri, but the news story said the body was taken by the villagers and buried elsewhere.

Emmanuel Goldstein is on the loose again!

[Clutch Cargo]

6. If they got him, that would certainly be good news. n/t

[Brundle_Fly]

73. if they got him

you can no doubt hear the * admin claiming that the NSA secret spying measures was the cause.

and patriotic americans will agree, lockstep.

[NYC]

7. Which one grows legs?

Zawahiri or Zarqawi?

[No Exit]

81. Zarqawi is the one who grew the new leg.

Yep, them A-rabs are such primitive organisms, they can do that.

We must support President Bush as he battles the most formidable enemies the world has ever known. Let's all tell him we're willing to give, take, and do anything! I mean, you wouldn't turn down Superman if he asked you to help, now, would you?

[GrumpyGreg]

8. It's on CNN now !

[Viva_La_Revolution]

9. CNN saying 18 killed, possibly 5 of them were Al Queda...

which begs the question... who were the other 13? Women, children?

[TomClash]

74. Civilians most likely nt

[bilgewaterbill]

94. 10 missiles hardly seems like they weretrying to contain collateral damage

[IndianaGreen]

95. There is no difference between Bush and Bin Laden

They are both terrorists that have no respect for the lives of innocents. They both believe they are on a godly crusade. They are both a threat to this planet. Bush is the greater threat by virtue of having the largest stockpile of WMDs in the world.

[TheWebHead]

10. hope it's him

or killing more women and children won't be helpful getting the Pakistani public to assist us. At least this guy is the solid #2, not the revolving #3 we keep capturing/killing.

[maxsolomon]

11. was this bombing IN PAKISTAN?

if so, that is indeed news. it means that Musharraf must have solidified his power, if he's willing to let us go after AQ on his territory.

if Zawahiri is dead, hip hip hooray.

[CJCRANE]

99. I think it's more likely Bushco were desperate

for some good PR so called in a favor from Musharraf.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

12. What? Is he a cat?

[Behind the Aegis]

13. again?

Talk about "crying wolf." Eventually he will die, but no one will believe it! At this point, even if the family claimed the body on live TV with DNA matching, I would still say..."hmmm..is this for real?"

[adigal]

15. CNN: bin Laden's # 2 man may have been killed

by a CIA airstrike.

On The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.

(Talk about nine lives!!)

[babylonsister]

16. Again? nt

[Salviati]

26. He must have more lives than a cat!

[HockeyMom]

47. You stole my line

from the proud human Mom of two felines.

[katty]

61. Indeed! Hasn't he been killed about 100 times now?! Pull out

the Bin Laden sideshow act! i can hear the circus music now

[central scrutinizer]

44. I don't remember any previous #2s

But they have gotten #3 at least half a dozen times. Maybe Al Qaeda traded a bunch of their #3s for a #2. Kind of like the NFL draft - if you are overstocked at a position, try to trade up in the draft. Maybe they were traded for cash and a terrorist to be named later.

[xultar]

17. May have kinda sorta maybe been killed....AGAIN

:rofl:

[Lin]

18. possibly, maybe, probably, potentially, blaaaaaablaaaaa#$%^& (eom)

[tularetom]

19. Seriously, has anyone actually kept count

of how many #2 and #3 Guys have been captured or killed? I don't see how anyone, even somebody as gullible and childlike as Blitzer can report this with a straight face.

[0007]

37. Wolfie only does what his master tells him ... but one would

think that Blitzer would get tired of being made to make these silly statements every other week.

[Faygo Kid]

20. CNN reporting Al-Zawahari (Al Qaeda #2) may be dead

In a U.S. air strike. Haven't we heard this before? If it happens, it happens. I am no fan of Al Qaeda. My prediction? They will use it justify warrantless spying. And attributed to its success. Wouldn't you, if you had the scum morals of Karl Rove?

[Cooley Hurd]

34. Why did they announce this on news dump night?

:shrug:

I smell something fishy...

[xultar]

49. That's just it. What are they dumping. THE FUCKERS.

[cantstandbush]

85. Diversion from 2 helicopters being shot down and 14 US dead. n/t

[wordpix]

106. right---notice how MSM is no longer covering the war and war dead

reporters are getting abducted and killed off ---son there will be no reporters left in Iraq

[kpete]

21. also interesting

Saddam trial judge plans to quit By Twana Osman
1 hour, 47 minutes ago



SULAIMANIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - The chief judge in the trial of Saddam Hussein plans to step down, a source close to the judge told Reuters on Friday, in a development that could throw an already turbulent process into further disarray.




"He wants to withdraw," the source said of Rizgar Amin, who is to preside over the next hearing on January 24. "He will oversee the next sitting and then announce his reasons for withdrawing."

Asked why the Kurdish judge, based in the northern city of Sulaimaniya, wanted to pull out of a trial that has made his face familiar around the world during long days of television coverage, he would say only: "It is too difficult."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060113/ts_nm/iraq_dc

[VegasWolf]

22. Was this the strike where Pakistan claims the US killed 13 innocent

villagers near the Afgan border?

[MrSlayer]

23. This guy has more lives than a room full of cats.

What bullshit.

[RagingInMiami]

24. That guy has more lives than an alleycat

[Qanisqineq]

28. you beat me to it!

That man is unstoppable.

[RagingInMiami]

30. Mr. Slayer beat me to it

See the post above mine

[OldLeftieLawyer]

25. Whew.

It's a good thing we already got his #3 guy so many times.

On the other hand, given the history of these stories, they probably bombed a wedding or a funeral.

I'll bet Osama's #4 boy is really, really nervous now, because, if there's no new #3, doesn't #4 move up to #3? And we all know how many times #3 has been killed.

Breaking news, my ass. This is another Friday afternoon dump, and let's not notice that more Americans were killed in Iraq this week, OK?

[hvn_nbr_2]

27. That's it. I'm starting a new religion.

Jesus, Osiris, and presumably the Flying Spaghetti Monster all only died and got resurrected once. This guy has been killed a hundred times and he just keeps coming back. Forget 70 virgins. Forget forgiving 70 times 7. Think living 70 times 70 times.

[Pithy Cherub]

29. The current #2, the former #2 or the future #2?

:shrug:

[AngryOldDem]

41. Everybody under bin Laden is No. #2

[AZBlue]

93. This guy is #2-F.

We got #2-E last week and will get #2-G and #3-L next week.

[Sydnie]

31. And we only had to kill 16 other people to do it this time

[boobooday]

32. Does this mean Rove is about to be indicted?

Just asking . . . a girl can dream . . .

[babylonsister]

48. yes - - distraction! nt

[sasha031]

33. wow night of the living dead

he keeps resurrecting

[doubleplusgood]

40. "They Won't Stay Dead !"

[No Exit]

82. Okay, now I'm ROFLMAO!!!!!!!

What will we do??? Where will we go??? Help us, Super-President Bush, help us!!!

[adarling]

35. same crap over and over again

i am sick of Wolf Blitzer, why is he the new face of CNN...the best reporter they have ever had on there, besides Christiane Amanpour was Aaron Brown and look where he is.

[quaoar]

64. Amazing how in a breathless voice he says

that the CIA MIGHT have gotten al Qaeda's No. 2. Here's a radical thought: How about waiting for confirmation!

[Julius Civitatus]

36. Wait a few days...

This seems like a very convenient news release, with Alito's confirmation, and Bush's ratings in the mud.

Wait a few days; they may tell us it was another wedding party. Who knows...

[rodeodance]

58. yes, I agree, wait--till corrections are made.

[SoCalDem]

38. This is all reminding me of Southpark

OH MY GOD, they killed Kenny Al Zawaheri


again!!!

[No Exit]

83. I love this thread! It gets funnier by the minute!!!!

[adigal]

39. The Dems probably just found out something on Alito

or perhaps Bush just bombed Iran.

[lumberingbear]

42. Wolfie keeps saying...

"They MAY, May have killed....".

Oh yeah.... Let me know when you find out. Now get on with something else!!!

[Cooley Hurd]

51. That explains why they're coming out with this on news dump night...

1) Say you killed al-Zawahiri in time for the Friday evening news.

2) Admit you were wrong on Saturday.

3) All is forgotten on Monday.

Soooo predictable.:eyes:

[xchrom]

43. i have something in my eye...

:eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :crazy:

[VegasWolf]

45. Boo! The Night of the Living Number 2! nt

[ismnotwasm]

46. Number two "may have been killed"

But not yet, because we need to keep producing those number 2 guys at spaced intervals. You know, just to show how much progress we're making. Blech.

[Debau2005]

50. I couldn't resist...

Do you think this is the org chart?


After all they now have a job application!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2039132

[adigal]

53. I think this is a completely and totally accurate depiction

of al Queda's organizational structure.

[Danieljay]

113. THAT is effing hilarious! n/t

[pinerow]

52. They ran out of #3's....

nt

[CJCRANE]

54. Then segues straight into interview with Laura Bush! nt

[stray cat]

55. Al zawari may be more important than Bin Laden

If and a big if -
If he has been killed it is really a huge dead and I for one will be overjoyed. This would finally get someone responsible for planning 9-11 and maybe the head more than Bin Laden. Kind of like Cheney and Bush.

[Jersey Devil]

56. This could also mean they've stepped in Bin Laden's #2

I think that is much more likely. :)

[Indy_Dem_Defender]

57. Is it this guy again?

He seems to get killed every Friday The 13th!

[hogwyld]

79. OMG!

I just realized it IS Friday the 13th! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[CJCRANE]

59. Bushco must be desperate - should've saved this

for an October surprise.

[u4ic]

60. Which #2 would that be?

This week's #2? last week's? August's? Or the #2 guy of OBL's #2 guy?

And more importantly, was his application form found??!?

[MiniMe]

62. In PAKISTAN

We are bombing Pakistan. Will this nightmare of an administration ever end.

This is per breaking news on CNN home page.

[Frank Cannon]

63. CNN BREAKING: Wile E. Coyote falls off cliff, presumed dead

Puff of dust witnessed by CIA recon plane.

[NI4NI]

65. He's a hard man to

keep buried in the ground. He musta found out that the 72 virgins in heaven was BS.

[Patsy Stone]

66. Yes, we got him again.

Dead again. :crazy:

Sure, maybe they did, finally.

[Patsy Stone]

67. Um? Where is Bin Laden?

Just asking.

[CJCRANE]

68. Does that mean the War on Terror is nearly over? nt

[CatholicEdHead]

69. NBC Nightly News said they cannot confirm if he was really killed

Due to where it happened with the location of the "predator drone" attack.

[No Exit]

86. Well, well... surprise, surprise, surprise....

They might get 6 months of hype outa this one!

"He's dead."

"No, wait--he's alive!"

"He is now confirmed dead."

"Shocking news: he's actually alive."

"He is believed to be dead."

"He has been spotted alive, by reliable informants (working for the Office of Special Plans.)"

"In order to protect ourselves, we must allow the U.S. military to patrol American cities, and you must not question the President if he seeks to find out the content of your telephone conversations, the number of times you had sex last week, what you told the Priest in the booth last Saturday, and the number of bowel movements you had in the last 3 days."

"He's dead."

"He has been confirmed dead, but we, Your Government, see no reason to give you your privacy back, because we never know when a new threat may arise..."

[Media_Lies_Daily]

70. OH MY GOD!!! THEY KILLED KENNY!!!!

[adigal]

71. My husband just made an astute observation...

if the #2 man is dead, then we get another #2 man, and a new #3 man, then we can get to kill the #2 man AND the #3 man again, and the #3 man will be killed for at least the 12th time, right??

[6000eliot]

72. Jesus Christ, not again!

How stupid do these people think the American people are?

[No Exit]

87. Yup--looks like he pulled a "Jesus".

The old trick: rising from the dead. You know the drill.

[Mr Rabble]

75. Is this the guy?

[Blue_Tires]

108. LOL

"WHO..DOES..NUMBER..TWO..WORK..FOR???"

[Blue_Tires]

109. LOL

"WHO..DOES..NUMBER..TWO..WORK..FOR???"

[Turbineguy]

76. Well one thing you can say about Zawahiri

he gave "do no harm" a whole new meaning.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

77. US targeted al Qaeda No. 2 in airstrike: media

49 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. airstrike in Pakistan targeted al Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri but it was unclear if he had been killed, U.S. media quoted U.S. and Pakistani sources as saying on Friday.

Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden and the Egyptian-born Zawahiri have eluded capture since U.S.-led forces toppled Afghanistan's Taliban government in 2001 after the September 11 attacks.

CNN quoted what they said were knowledgeable sources as saying the CIA ordered the airstrike on buildings after receiving intelligence that al-Zawahiri was in a village near the border with Afghanistan.

ABC news quoted Pakistani military sources as saying that five of those killed were "high-level" al Qaeda figures.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060114/ts_nm/security_zawahiri_dc



Osama bin Laden (L) sits with Al Qaeda's top strategist and second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri in this 2001 file photo. REUTERS/Hamid Mir/file

[genieroze]

78. What about Osama?

[Radio_Lady]

88. Remember, Bush said he doesn't focus or think about Osama any

more.


All he cares about is ---------> I HAVE NO F*in' IDEA....

[No Exit]

89. Spoilsport!

"Osama", indeed! How can you nag Our Government about Osama, when they're doing so well killing No. 2, over and over again??

Sheesh, some people are never satisfied!;-)

[Straight Shooter]

90. I guaran-damn-tee you it was human intelligence, on the ground.

Not eavesdropping.

Kill this one, kill that one, BFD. Those waiting in the Al Qaeda line are salivating at the thought of replacing the second-in-command. Don't forget that they're probably younger, meaner, and filled with thoughts of vengeance against America.

[HuffleClaw]

98. yes, but...

WHICH 'number two' guy?

[Rose Siding]

80. Knight Ridder link- It was a CIA strike: locals say 18 dead

CIA missile hits compound thought to contain bin Laden deputy

WASHINGTON - A CIA-controlled unmanned aircraft fired a missile Friday into a compound just inside Pakistan's border with Afghanistan after the CIA received intelligence that Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant and other senior al-Qaida members were inside, U.S. intelligence officials said.

At least 17 people were killed, but it couldn't be immediately confirmed if al Qaida's No. 2 leader, Ayman Zawahri, or other top members of the Islamic terrorist network were among them, or were even present at the time, the officials said.

The officials said that killing Zawahri or bin Laden would be a "major victory in the war on terror," as one put it, but they acknowledged that it probably wouldn't cripple al-Qaida or significantly reduce the threat of new terrorist attacks. The reason, they said, is that terrorist cells now operate independently rather than on orders from bin Laden or Zawahri, and that Iraq has become a new training ground for Islamic extremists.
...
News reports from Pakistan confirmed that an attack took place and quoted local officials as saying that 18 people, including women and children, were killed.

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/13622499.htm

[fujiyama]

84. If they got him great

but until there is real independant confirmation from a news source (ie non US/Pakistani military, non US media), this is meaningless speculation.

And I don't trust anything the Pakistani military says. They are more full of shit than this administration (OK well, they're close).

[IndianaGreen]

91. 05:18 Pakistan: Cannot confirm U.S. targeted Al Qaida number 2 (Reuters)

The latest on the Haaretz news crawler:

05:18 Pakistan: Cannot confirm U.S. targeted Al Qaida number 2 (Reuters)

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/

[leesa]

92. Blah...blah...blah...Bush polls dip and another second in command

is captured or dies...look for the retraction in two to three days on page A57.

[ngGale]

96. LMAO....

damn, that man is good. :rofl:

:popcorn:

[CJCRANE]

100. How many innocent villagers have to die

every time * needs a diversion?

What's to stop them bombing some random Pakistani village and claiming they thought the al-Qaeda #X was there?

[Julius Civitatus]

101. CNN says it wasn't al-Zawahiri... ooops!

Yet 18 villagers got blown to pieces, including women and children.

But hey, nobody is talking about Alito or Bush's approval numbers today!

:sarcasm:

[wordpix]

102. again, the intelligence was just a little off, sorry re: the 18 innocents

killed

[NYC]

103. Pakistan Condemns Deadly U.S. Air Strike.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2041101

Two Pakistani officials told The Associated Press on Saturday that the CIA had acted on incorrect information, and al-Zawahri was not in the village of Damadola when it came under attack...

"Their information was wrong, and our investigations conclude that they acted on a false information," said a senior intelligence official. His account was confirmed by a senior government official, who said al-Zawahri "was not there."

[Julius Civitatus]

104. Let me guess: Another wedding party blown to pieces?

It wouldn't be the first time.

So much for "intelligence."

:eyes:

[bunny planet]

105. Will they be delivering his head packed in dry ice to the Preznit's office

or is that only for the number#1?

Seriously, if they killed Zawahiri, it would be good news. He's a monster. I completely and thoroughly doubt anything released by this administration however.

[bunny planet]

107. Will they be delivering his head packed in dry ice to the Preznit's office

as per his request, or is that only for the number #1 terra-ist.

Seriously, if they killed Zawahiri, it would be great news. He's a monster. However, I completely and thoroughly doubt anything released by this administration. They always manage to have these releases conveniently timed for public consumption when there is something they would like to distract us from in other news or to reinforce *'s standing as the 'war on terra, 9/11 changed everything' fearless leader. News flash fascists, it's not working anymore.

[zann725]

110. Like a cat, he seems to have AT least nine lives...or more.

It's becoming almost a laughable fable... each time they claim to have "got him."

[Wise Doubter]

111. How are they going to match his DNA ??!!

with what ?!!!!!! did he give a pee sample, and the say "catch me if you can" ?

[Danieljay]

112. EXACTLY! EXACTLY! EXACTLY MY QUESTION.. (sorry for yelling)

I thought this very thing. When I hear this repeatedly I'm trying to figure out how you can verify DNA unless you have some of their DNA to begin with. You are right! Did all terrorists submit a DNA sample prior to becoming terrorists?

Tin Foil hat time: What if, for example, we have ALL had our DNA sampled at birth and there is a record of it somewhere? Yikes..thats creepy. Perhaps the aliens that truly rule the planet have a data base of our DNA, and the Bush administration is in contact. I mean, how many of us have asked what planet is this administration on?

Ok, just kidding. But..that being said....the original question stands. How do they compare DNA without an original sample. Do they follow this guy around plucking up pubic hairs?