Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was the leader of
Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Zarqawi took responsibility, on several audiotapes, for numerous acts of terrorism in Iraq and
Jordan. These acts include
suicide bombings, and the killing of soldiers, police officers, and civilians. As an
Islamist that identified with the
Salafi movement, Zarqawi opposed the presence of
United States and Western military forces in the
Islamic world and opposed the West's support for and the existence of
Israel. In
September 2005, he reportedly declared "all-out war" on
Shia Muslims in Iraq and is believed responsible for dispatching numerous
Al-Qaeda suicide bombers throughout Iraq, especially to areas with large concentrations of Shia civilians. As the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq he is suspected of responsibility for thousands of deaths. Zarqawi was killed in a US airstrike in June, 2006. (
more...)
