Is it unfair to use the words 'Al Qaida in Iraq" and 'Pentagon' interchangably, especially after the 'Military Plays Up Role of Zarqawi' article on the first page? How can we be sure that this new internet posting proclaiming the new leader of al qaida in Iraq is anything other than more BS from the Pentagon?
Quote:
Militant Chosen to Succeed al-Zarqawi
CAIRO, Egypt Jun 12, 2006 (AP)— Al-Qaida in Iraq said in a Web statement posted Monday that a militant named Abu Hamza al-Muhajer was the group's new leader. Al-Muhajer succeeds Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed Wednesday by a U.S. airstrike on his hideout northeast of Baghdad, Iraq.
The purported successor was not immediately known. The name al-Muhajer, Arabic for "immigrant," suggested he was not Iraqi.
"Al-Qaida in Iraq's council has agreed on Sheik Abu Hamza al-Muhajer to be the successor for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in the leadership of the organization," said a statement signed by the group on an Islamic militant Web forum where it often posts messages.
It said al-Muhajer was "a beloved brother with jihadi (holy war) experience and a strong footing in knowledge."
The authenticity of the statement could not be independently confirmed.
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