Zarqawi?s death no panacea
Several days after the death of arch-terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the significance of his demise is still being widely discussed and hotly debated.? Some experts on terrorism hail his death as a major milestone in that war.?Others caution that taking out one terrorist, even of his magnitude, will do little to cure the virus of violence that has infected Iraq in recent months.
One thing is clear, though.?Zarqawi was the mastermind of mass murder and mayhem, not only in Iraq, but in his homeland of Jordan, where he was responsible for three bombings last year that killed 60 people.? He also brutally beheaded American contractor Nicholas Berg in 2004.
Moreover, Zarqawi was the self-proclaimed head of al Qaeda in Iraq.?He swore to foment a civil war between Sunnis and Shias.?The bombings of sacred shrines and the slaughter of Iraqis were his tactical means to this strategic end.
Ironically, the man who thrived on inflicting violence upon others met a violent death himself, the result of months of detailed planning and timely, precise execution by U.S. and coalition forces.
The end for Zarqawi began at 6:15 p.m. on June 7. After tracking him relentlessly to a so-called ?safe house? near Baqubah, a U.S. Delta Force reconnaissance and surveillance team called in an airstrike.? Seconds later, two five-hundred pound bombs hit his hideout in rapid succession and with unerring and deadly effect.?
His spiritual advisor and four other people were killed immediately.?Zarqawi reportedly lived for a few minutes, and was even treated briefly by a coalition medic before succumbing.
The raid on Zarqawi?s hideout also yielded a veritable treasure-trove of information and intelligence, which was then used to conduct hundreds of lightning raids on other terrorist hideouts.
The demonstrated ability of U.S. and coalition forces to carry out the joint and combined operations necessary to find, fix and destroy Zarqawi and many of his henchmen is good news, indeed, for the future security of Iraq.?However, it would be a mistake, I believe, to think this signals the end of the insurgency in Iraq.?
While we?ve cut off the head of al Qaeda in Iraq, the insurgency there is a hydra-headed monster with many parts, mostly homegrown.?It will be put down, not by the death of Zarqawi, or a thousand of his ilk.?Instead, the indigenous insurgents will turn from violence to civility only when they can be persuaded that the sources of their respective rages can be resolved through consensus and compromise.
A bold step forward in consensus and compromise at the top came right after Zarqawi?s death. Prime Minister Maliki filled two key cabinet posts, Interior and Defense-one with a Sunni the other with a Shia.?The significance of these appointments was underscored by the dramatic trip President Bush made to Baghdad to meet with the Prime Minister and other top officials. In the long run, this political progress, if it holds, may be far more significant for the future of a secure and stable Iraq than the death of Zarqawi.
Thomas B. Vaughn is a professor at Motlow College and co-host of the radio show ?Viewpoints,? which airs on 91.3 FM, WCPI.