Gen. Kimmitt "The Zarqawi PSYOP program is the most successful ......

[Catrina]

Whether Zarqawi died as we are being told today, or not, from the moment Colin Powell mentioned his name during his now infamous speech to the UN which is widely seen as the catalyst for the War in Iraq (and which Powell now says will be forever a stain on his career) until now, and probably long into the future, ME experts, reputable journalists and even US military personel, amongst others have viewed the US claims about Al Zarqawi with great skeptism.

From Wikipedia:

On April 10, 2006, the Washington Post reported that the U.S. military conducted a major propaganda offensive designed to exaggerate Zarqawi's role in the Iraqi insurgency. Gen. Mark Kimmitt says of the propaganda campaign that there "was no attempt to manipulate the press." In an internal briefing, Kimmitt is quoted as stating, "The Zarqawi PSYOP program is the most successful information campaign to date." The main goal of the propaganda campaign seems to have been to exacerbate a rift between insurgent forces in Iraq, but intelligence experts worry that it has actually enhanced Zarqawi's influence.


Col. Derek Harvey, "who served as a military intelligence officer in Iraq and then was one of the top officers handling Iraq intelligence issues on the staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff," warned an Army meeting in 2004 that "Our own focus on Zarqawi has enlarged his caricature, if you will -- made him more important than he really is, in some ways." While Pentagon spokespersons state unequivocally that PSYOPs may not be used to influence American citizens, there is little question that the information disseminated through the program has found its way into American media sources. The Post also notes that "One briefing slide about U.S. "strategic communications" in Iraq, prepared for Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the top U.S. commander in Iraq, describes the "home audience" as one of six major targets of the American side of the war." <22>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Zarqawi

Another reference to Gen. Kimmett's statement as reported in the WAPO here:

In the Washington Post’s version of his story Ricks quotes an internal briefing, produced by the U.S. military headquarters in Iraq, which revealed that Brigadier-General Mark Kimmitt – then the US military spokesperson in Iraq – had concluded that, “The Zarqawi PSYOP program is the most successful information campaign to date.”

http://www.williambowles.info/iraq/zarqawi/zarqawi_rumours.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The truth has been so hard to come by regarding this War, from the Forged Niger Documents, to the claims about the now discredited WMD stories, to the cost of the war as told to the American people, to it's expected duration ('months, weeks') etc. that Americans (and even more so, citizens of other countries) can hardly be blamed when they doubt every story now, especially ones such as this, where the individual, Al Zarqawi, was already viewed as a myth by so many and where top military officials have expressed doubts about his status as a top terrorist leader.

To try to sort out truth from fiction, and remembering the many questions raised about Al Zarqawi since Colin Powell first introduced him to the world as a major terrorist, I did a quick search to try to verify if what I remembered was true.

This link leads to a gathering of news stories over the years since we first heard of Al Zarqawi. Each link in the second set, leads to articles on the stories that were in the news re Zarqawi at the time. I have only had time to click into a few, but thought that this would be helpful way to retrace the Zarqawi story as it unfolded in the news.

An example of the news stories from the first link follows, and the links are organized according to the year. This one starts with Nov. 2004:

November 2004

30/11/04

www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2004/s1255078.htm
Little known about Al Qaeda’s Zarqawi
ABC Online – Australia
The Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been blamed for car bombings, gruesome beheadings and the mass killing of Iraqi police and soldiers. …

www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1382583,00.html
Requiem Mass for Iraq hostage as husband clings to faint hope
The Times – London,England,UK
… In a series of videos, she voiced varying demands which were unlike those made by the hostages of Iraq’s most wanted terrorist, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, head of …

29/11/04

www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1101729310219000.xml
Al-Zarqawi group says it killed 17 Iraq forces
Cleveland Plain Dealer – Cleveland,OH,USA
… A statement posted on an Islamist Web site in the name of al-Qaida in Iraq, led by Jordanian terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, claimed responsibility for …

www.wane.com/Global/story.asp?S=2609218
Purported al-Zarqawi audiotape accuses Muslim scholars of betrayal
WANE – Ft Wayne,IN,USA
BAGHDAD, Iraq An audiotape that surfaced on the Web today may be from fugitive terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (AH’-boo MOO’-sahb ahl-zahr-KOW’-ee). …

28/11/04

www.cbc.ca/cp/world/041128/w112850.html
Al-Zarqawi’s group claims responsibility for killing Iraqi troops …
CBC News – Canada
… A statement posted on an Islamist website in the name of al-Qaida in Iraq, led by Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, claimed responsibility for killing 17 members …

www.kfor.com/Global/story.asp?S=2621161
Al-Zarqawi’s group claims responsibility for Mosul killings
KFOR-TV – Oklahoma City,OK,USA
A statement on an Islamist Web site purportedly posted by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s group claims responsibility for killing 17 Iraq security officers and a …

news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3816348
Coalition Troops Stage Daring River Attack on Rebel Areas
The Scotsman – Edinburgh,Scotland,UK
… There have also been reported sightings of Jordanian terror chief Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in the same lawless area of north Babil province, some 40 miles south of …

27/11/04

www.boston.com/dailynews/332/world/Iraqi_official_briefs_Iran_on_:.shtml
Iraqi official briefs Iran on ongoing insurgency, demands Tehran …
Boston Globe – Boston,MA,USA
… Osama bin Laden’s terror network is believed to have strong ties to the major Iraqi insurgency group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. …

26/11/04

www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/nation/10275885.htm
Al-Zarqawi aide captured
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette – Fort Wayne,IN,USA
BAGHDAD, Iraq — A lieutenant of Iraq’s most feared insurgent leader, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, was captured this week, the country’s national security …

www.examiner.ie/pport/web/Full_Story/did-sgteBN36ITTKosgDQQ5wn3uAIg.asp
Al-Zarqawi ally held in Mosul as toxin manuals found
IrishExaminer.com (subscription) – Ireland
By Sameer Yacoub, Baghdad. A LIEUTENANT of Iraq’s most feared militant leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was captured a few days ago in Mosul. …

25/11/04

www.boston.com/dailynews/330/world/Government_says_it_arrested_a_:.shtml
Government says it arrested a lieutenant of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi …
Boston Globe – Boston,MA,USA
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) A lieutenant of Iraq’s most feared terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was captured a few days ago in Mosul, the government’s national …

seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?
category=1107&slug=Terror%20Cell%20Phones
Report: al-Zarqawi used Swiss cell phone
Seattle Post Intelligencer – Seattle,WA,USA
GENEVA — Investigators believe terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi used a Swiss-based cellular phone to communicate with Muslim extremists worldwide before …

www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/world/10272291.htm
Key aide to al-Zarqawi captured; weapons cache found in Fallujah …
Kansas City Star (subscription) – Kansas City,MO,USA
BAGHDAD, Iraq – (KRT) – Iraqi officials Thursday announced the capture of a key aide to Jordanian terrorist suspect Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and said soldiers had …

www.freep.com/news/nw/iraq25e_20041125.htm
Rebel leader maneuvered behind scenes
Detroit Free Press – Detroit,MI,USA
… Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian-born suspected terror mastermind with a $25-million bounty on his head, is perhaps the best-known leader of Iraq’s insurgent …

24/11/04

www.boston.com/dailynews/329/world/Alleged_al_Zarqawi_tape_critic:.shtml
Alleged al-Zarqawi tape criticizes Muslim scholars for ‘silence’ …
Boston Globe – Boston,MA,USA
… In the tape posted Wednesday on an Islamic Web site, Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi condemned the ‘’silence’’ of Muslim religious figures, saying …

www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1373381,00.html
Al-Zarqawi attacks the ‘silent’ scholars
The Times – London,England,UK
THE insurgent leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has attacked Muslim clerics for failing to support attacks on United States-led forces in Iraq. …

english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/5B944179-9C77-4493-BA02-D72CEC668BC3.htm
Al-Zarqawi: Iraq conference a “farce”
Al-Jazeera – Qatar
Anti-US fighter Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has threatened to increase attacks on American-led forces in Iraq following an international conference in Egypt …

www.columbiatribune.com/2004/Nov/20041124News019.asp
Al-Zarqawi tape criticizes clerics
Columbia Daily Tribune – Columbia,MO,USA
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) – An audiotape purportedly made by Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi lashed out today at Muslim scholars for not speaking out against …

23/11/04

www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/505327.html
Jordan’s military judge urges terror suspects to surrender
Ha’aretz – Jerusalem,Israel
AMMAN – A military judge called on Jordanian terrorist Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi and three other fugitives to surrender Tuesday, a step toward opening a terror …

www9.sbs.com.au/theworldnews/region.php?id=99629®ion=6
NEW OFFENSIVE AGAINST INSURGENTS
Special Broadcasting Service – Australia
… Another reason for the Fallujah operation was to capture Iraq’s most wanted man, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, whose al-Qaeda-linked group was allegedly operating out …

22/11/04

www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,11465536%255E663,00.html
Fallujah reveals its nasty secrets
Melbourne Herald Sun – Melbourne,Victoria,Australia
… Maj West said the marines had found a house thought to belong to associates of Iraq’s most wanted man, the al-Qaida frontman Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. …

www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/nation/10244930.htm
Suspected hostage houses found
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette – Fort Wayne,IN,USA
… 10. The house is near another raided by US and Iraqi soldiers last week connected to associates of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant. …

seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?
category=1107&slug=Iraq%20Kidnapping%20Claim
Zarqawi group claims Allawi kidnappings
Seattle Post Intelligencer – Seattle,WA,USA
CAIRO, Egypt — A militant group led by Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claimed responsibility Monday for kidnapping and then releasing three family …

21/11/04

www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/world/10240741.htm
Al-Zarqawi underling emerges as force behind Fallujah insurgency
Kansas City Star (subscription) – Kansas City,MO,USA
… While US official pronouncements about rebel leaders have focused on Jordanian terror suspect Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, rebel fighters and others who escaped the …

www.tmnews.com/articles/2004/11/21/ap/headlines/d86gbo200.txt
Iraq Sets Jan. 30 for National Elections
Times-Mail – Bedford,IN,USA
… In an Internet statement posted Sunday, the terrorist group of Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Al-Qaida in Iraq, claimed it killed 17 Iraqi National …

www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/world/10241037.htm
US forces inspect house where hostages may have been held, killed
Kansas City Star (subscription) – Kansas City,MO,USA
FALLUJAH, Iraq – (KRT) – Acting on information from a man who claimed to have escaped from militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s network, the US military over the …

english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/B2BC0FF0-1A7F-4AA9-826C-FBF3D5BDDF0A.htm
Falluja – America’s hollow victory
Al-Jazeera – Qatar
… The first was to either kill or capture the Jordanian born “terrorist” Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his followers who were believed to be holed up in the encircled …


http://www.williambowles.info/iraq/zarqawi/index.html

Reading through some of the statements made by prominent people in the military, you get the impression that no one was sure whether using Al Zarqawi as the next Osama Bin Laden, was beneficial or not. Whoseever decision it was to elevate him to the status of top terrorist in the world, capable of doing all he has been accused of, remains to be identified.

While exploring the truth of the Zarawi claims, anyone who doubts them is, naturally, a 'conspiracy theorist'. However, from the research I have done, what strikes you is how little, if any, evidence has been presented to support the Bush Administration's claims. In fact, I personally have not found a single supporting piece of evidence that Al Zarqawi was what the Administration claimed him to be. Otoh, those who question his status, have at least presented some corroborating evidence to back up their assertions.

Meantime, I'll keep looking for evidence that what President Bush and SOD, Donald Rumsfeld said today, is true ~ that this was the single most dangerous man in Iraq.

[glitch]

1. "We will lie to you" - Donald Rumsfeld.

There is no reason to believe or disbelieve anything coming from them.
They should be made powerless (by conviction and imprisonment) and then ignored, their destiny is the irrelevance they truly deserve.

[Catrina]

2. Yes, they promised to lie to the people, which is why everything they

claim needs to be double-checked and checked again ~

This Zarqawi story has been questioned from the beginning by some very reputable people. The US itself has contracticed its own stories on Zarqawi. Here's what Dahr Jamail, who spent eight months in Iraq, had to say about the Zarqawi phenomenon. Notice how Colin Powell and Donald Rumsfeld contradict each other as to Al Zarqawi's importance as a leader of Al Queda. I hope some journalist will ask Rumsfeld why he now claims that Al Zarqawi was such an important Al Queda leader:

Dahr Jamail on the Zarqawi Phenomenon

He has since turned up, according to American intelligence reports and the U.S. press, in Ramadi, Baghdad, Samarra, and Mosul among other places, along with side trips to Jordan, Iran, Pakistan and/or Syria. His closest “lieutenants” have been captured by the busload, according to American military reports, and yet he always seems to have a bottomless supply of them. In May, a news report on the BBC even called Zarqawi “the leader of the insurgency in Iraq,” though more sober analysts of the chaotic Iraqi situation say his group, Jama’at al-Tawhid wal Jihad, while probably modest in size and reach is linked to a global network of jihadists. However, finding any figures as to the exact size of the group remains an elusive task.

Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell offered photos before the U.N. in February, 2003 of Zarqawi’s “headquarters” in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq, also claiming that Zarqawi had links to Al-Qaeda. The collection of small huts was bombed to the ground by U.S. forces in March of that year, prompting one news source to claim that Zarqawi had been killed. Yet seemingly contradicting Powell’s claims for Zarqawi’s importance was a statement made in October, 2004 by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who conceded that Zarqawi’s ties to Al Qaeda may have been far more ambiguous, that he may have been more of a rival than a lieutenant to Osama bin Laden.

“Someone could legitimately say he’s not Al Qaeda,” added Rumsfeld.

So, in May of last year, Rummy downplays Al Zarqawi's connection to Al Queda! In fact he says he has no connection to Al Queda!

http://www.williambowles.info/iraq/zarqawi/dahr_zarqawi.html

Rummy contradicting Colin Powell a year ago, now contracting himself and agreeing with Colin Powell, one year later!

The lies they tell! Do they not know there is a record of their lies?

[Catrina]

4. Wow, researching this is revealing. First, see post #2, Rummy says

that Al Zarqawi is 'not Al Queda' in October of 2004. But here, in June of 2005, he seems to forget that and states that anyone helping him (Al Zarqawi) will be helping Al Queda.

Illustrating how challenging it is to pin down al-Zarqawi, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Wednesday he assumes al-Zarqawi is in Iraq, but Rumsfeld added a warning to countries in the region who may be willing to help the insurgent leader.

“Were a neighboring country to take him in and provide medical assistance or haven for him, they, obviously, would be associating themselves with a major linkage in the al-Qaida network and a person who has a great deal of blood on his hands,” Rumsfeld said.

http://www.williambowles.info/iraq/zarqawi/wp_zarqawi.html

The truth doesn't change ~ it might be interesting to just track Rumsfeld's statements about Zarqawi. So far, with little effort, he's been caught making statements that directly contradict each other regarding Zarqawi. I would like to read those quotes to him and ask him to explain them.

[Karenina]

11. Al-Zawahiri is waiting in the wings

Ayman al-Zawahiri - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
It is also assumed that al-Zawahiri serves as bin Laden's doctor. ... Ayman al-Zawahiri was born to a prominent middle class family in Maadi, Egypt, ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayman_al-Zawahiri - 30k - 6 Jun 2006 - Cached - Similar pages

CNN Programs - People in the News
While in an Egyptian prison on a weapons charge, al-Zawahiri emerged as a spokesman for ... "Ayman al-Zawahiri is effectively Osama bin Laden's No. ...
www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/people/shows/zawahiri/profile.html - 46k - 6 Jun 2006 - Cached - Similar pages

CNN.com - Pakistan protests airstrike - Jan 14, 2006
Intelligence earlier suggested Ayman al-Zawahiri may have been killed in ... Would the killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri be a turning point in the war on terror? ...
www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/01/14/alqaeda.strike/index.html - 47k - Cached - Similar pages
< More results from www.cnn.com >

Ayman Al-Zawahiri: attention turns to the other prime suspect ...
Ed Blanche. "It may be that the USA would find it prudent to go after al-Zawahiri first if it wants...
www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/jir/jir011003_1_n.shtml - 46k - Cached - Similar pages

The New Yorker: Fact
Jan was looking at a wanted poster for a man named Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, ... In 1929, Rabie's uncle Mohammed al-Ahmadi al-Zawahiri became the Grand Imam of ...
www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?020916fa_fact2a - 64k - Cached - Similar pages

Ayman al-Zawahiri
The doctor and advisor to Osama bin Ladin, wanted in connection to the US embassy bombings in Africa in 1998.
terrorism.about.com/od/mostwantedterrorists/p/alzawahiri.htm - 26k - 7 Jun 2006 - Cached - Similar pages

TIME Magazine Archive Article -- Ayman al-Zawahiri -- May 8, 2006
Ayman al-Zawahiri, a cerebral Egyptian surgeon who joined his first jihadist ... When the two first met in Pakistan in 1986, al-Zawahiri made a powerful ...
www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1187180,00.html - Similar pages

Ayman al-Zawahiri
GlobalSecurity.org is the leading source for reliable military news and military information, directed by John Pike.
www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/zawahiri.htm - 30k - Cached - Similar pages

Ayman Muhammad Rabi' Al-Zawahiri
Cyber encyclopedia of Jewish history and culture that covers everything from anti-Semitism to Zionism. It includes a glossary, bibliography of web sites and ...
www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Zawahiri.html - 68k - Cached - Similar pages

Aljazeera.Net - Al-Zawahiri criticises Afghan elections
Al-Qaida number two Ayman al-Zawahiri has dismissed the legitimacy of ... In the tape, al-Zawahiri played down US accomplishments in Afghanistan, ...
english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/0BB3E65C-0ADD-48B8-BF40-6FBB3C069647.htm - 73k - Cached - Similar pages

In response to a legal request submitted to Google, we have removed 1 result(s) from this page. If you wish, you may read more about the request at ChillingEffects.org.

[Catrina]

14. Great research, Karenina ~ I am reading the New Yorker link right now

We'll have to watch for more on him from the MSM ~

From all I'm reading about Al Zarqawi, I get the impression they weren't even sure how to present him, but threw the name out whenever it was convenient.

But what makes no sense to me is why Al Zarqawi would kill Iraqi civilians ~ which they claim he was doing. And how, someone who was from a different country went unnoticed in Iraq, not to mention, how did he get a following big enough inside Iraq to accomplish all he is accused of? He would need cooperation from Iraqis. And how did he manage to travel in and out of the country, as alleged, being that there was a $25 million dollar price on his head?

If the insurgency is made up of Iraqis, the former military and others, Al Zarqawi would have been a target of any Suni insurgency as well as the US. None of it makes sense, but I'm still looking for some explanations from the administration as to how and why they came to the position that Al Zarqawi was so effective in Iraq. So far, though, I have not found anything, just 'he's a bad guy'.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

26. Lying is a very important part of the Neocon Philosophy.

The idea is that government should only be run by noble men and that the masses are to be lied to in order to keep them pacified.

[me b zola]

3. Well done, Catrina

Many of us suspected that Al Zarqawi's importance was highly inflated by team boosh*. This is the first that I have seen the WAPO article that confirms that suspicion.

As with most of their psyop campaigns, I think that the American public was the main target of the propaganda. Although it does sound as though they are admitting to contributing to, if not responsible for, the violence & murder of Iraqis: "The main goal of the propaganda campaign seems to have been to exacerbate a rift between insurgent forces in Iraq..."





recomended

[Catrina]

5. Thank you, me b zola ~ I had not seen that Washington Post

article before either ~ if the press would just do a little research, go back and check on all the contradictory statements made about Zarqawi, especially, as I just discovered, by Rumsfeld, they might redeem themselves from the shame of their coverage of the WMD lies ~ it took me about 30 minutes just to do this, they are paid to keep the public informed. I'm sure they could do a much better job if they put their minds to it.

At least someone should ask for proof of the allegations regarding Al Zarqawi. So far, I have not been able to verify a single allegation made by this administration regarding the claims they have made.

[parasim]

6. Perhaps, but they're still kinda sloppy...

Today they say that his body was identified by his tattoos:

-snip

Tattoos

Zarqawi's body was taken a secure location.

"By visual identification it was established that that probably was him, but they... did further examination of his body, found more scars and tattoos consistent with what had been reported which we knew about him.
-snip

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5060468.stm


...but last year the Guardian reported:

-snip
He forbade other prisoners to read anything else. He had his un-Islamic tattoos removed (shedding the last reminders of his old street life).
-snip

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1494965,00.html

[Catrina]

8. Very interesting, Parasim ~ Is it possible that even if a tattoo is

removed, they could tell what it was originally? Just wondering, and I doubt it but don't know much about tattoos. I'm wondering how they will explain this so wanted to be sure of what it involves.

Thank you for those links, they are very important in deciding the truth of what is now being said. You're right, they are sloppy. That's why if only the press had been vigilent, it would have been so easy to expose the lies by confronting them with them.

The other question I have is, why did they not capture him? Surely that was possible once they knew where he was? Wasn't he of more value alive than dead? I would have thought that such an 'important' figure would be able to give them information that might save lives.

[symbolman]

7. GOOD JOB Catrina

If you add the links from the MSM that have claimed at least 4 times if not more that he was KILLED (and rose on the third day) then there is no doubt that this is one of their best Psyops work in this 'war'..

Send this to Keith Olbermann, and Buzzflash, so it gets spread far and wide, in this fashion we get to BE the media while shaming the MSM at the same time -- let them know, Olbermann will give it a good lashing and exposure..

[Catrina]

9. Thank you Symbolman ~ I think within some of those links, which I"m

still reading throught, is a list of the several times Zarqawi was reported to be dead. There's also a CNN report of him being captured but released. The official story after that was that the Iraqi police didn't recognize him. Do they not have big wanted posters in Iraq for him?


I'm not sure how to email KO or Buzzflash. But I'll go find out when I get back in a little while.

I do think the contradictions by Rumsfeld and the statment by Gen. Kimmel are important ~

Thank you for all you do also ~ I agree, we do need to be the media ~ I got rid of television, so my mind is no longer polluted by the 'news' on cable tv. I can only imagine what it is like today, with absolutely no critical analysis of this very important story.

[countryjake]

15. That Detroit Free Press article is not free...

I could only view the first paragraph from the archives...

Detroit Free Press
REBEL LEADER MANEUVERED BEHIND SCENES
November 25, 2004 •• 1395 words •• ID: 0411745567
BAGHDAD, Iraq --In the six months when Fallujah was under guerrilla control, the most feared man in that city was a 30-something Iraqi electrician whose religious fervor drew suspicion from Saddam Hussein's agents long before U.S. forces invaded Iraq. While official U.S. pronouncements about rebel leaders have focused on Jordanian terror suspect Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, rebel fighters and others who escaped the U.S. assault on Fallujah say the man with the real power was Omar Hussein


Could you copy for us whatever other pertinent references (if any) it gave to the threat of Zarqawi or the propaganda surrounding him?

I've been looking for articles about him losing that leg. The "tin-legged terrorist" who managed to outrun an entire coalition of able-bodied soldiers seems to have sprouted a new limb, now that they've finally found him.

[Catrina]

16. I wish I could access the article, but it's completely gone now ~

Error 404 The page you are looking for could not be found. It may have been removed, or is otherwise unavailable.

Also, the Boston.com/Daily News link is no longer available.

As far as the 'tin'legged terrorist' story, it's difficult to discern where that story actually began, but it was from Colin Powell that most people heard it for the first time, that Al Zarqawi was the link between Al Queda and Iraq. In his speech to the UN, he claimed that Al Zarqawi had his leg amputated in Iraq. Here's one article from Newsweek which attempted to sort out the facts:


An undated photo of Zarqawi, released by Jordanian police

Distorted Intelligence?
Secret German records cast doubt on the Saddam-Al Qaeda connection.

Much of the debate revolves around claims that Saddam had large stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons—stockpiles that so far have not been found. But an equally fierce debate has been taking place behind the scenes about the handling of sketchy, and at times, contradictory evidence relating to Saddam’s supposed connections with Al Qaeda.

Zarqawi was at the center of those claims. In a Cincinnati speech delivered Oct. 7, on the eve of a congressional vote authorizing him to wage war on Iraq, President Bush asserted that “Iraq and Al Qaeda have had high-level contacts that go back a decade.” His chief example was that “one very senior Al Qaeda leader” had “received medical treatment in Baghdad”—an obvious reference to Zarqawi, who had his leg amputated there in 2002.

Zarqawi received even more prominence in secretary of State Colin Powell’s Feb. 5 presentation to the United Nations Security Council. In that address, Powell described Zarqawi as “an associate and collaborator of Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda lieutenants.” During his stay in Baghdad, Powell claimed that “nearly two dozen…al Qaeda affiliates” converged on the Iraqi capital and “established a base of operations there.”

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3067876/

For the purpose of getting the war started, this was the link the Bush administration made between Iraq and Al Queda, and Colin Powell delivered the 'evidence' to the Un as he was asked to do.

But things changed regarding Zarqawi's 'tin leg' when, in the middle of hearings on the torture at Abu Ghraib, a tape was released which, we were told, showed the murder of Nick Berg. The Administration claimed that the leader of the terrorists in the video, was Al Zarqawi.

But the claim that man in the video was Al Zarqawi was debunked, ironically based on their own claim that Zarqawi had only one leg, because the man in the video, clearly had two legs. Supporting this was an article in the Times, although how reliable any of this is, people have to decide for themselves:

Zarqawi ‘sleeps in suicide belt’

The sheikh also claimed one of the most widely circulated pieces of supposed western intelligence about Zarqawi — that he sought treatment in Iraq after losing a leg in a US missile strike on Al-Qaeda militants — is false.

Ansari confirmed that he has both his legs and “walks with confidence and balance”.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2003822,00.html

How did the Administration handle the conflicting stories? If they agree that the terrorist in the Berg video has two legs, that debunks their own Iraq/Al Queda link story that led us to war in Iraq. Here's a little on how the amputated leg story was dealt with after another video, showing Al Zarqawi running around in the desert proved that he actually still had both legs:

In fact, by 2004, officials in the Pentagon and elsewhere were sheepishly acknowledging that, well, OK, maybe Zarqawi's leg was never amputated after all. Here's what Powell's former aide, Lawrence Wilkerson, said about it all on Nov. 27, 2005, in the New York Daily News:

But Powell was skeptical, Wilkerson recalled. He said the peg leg tale - now believed to be untrue - proved in hindsight "how little we knew about the man."
"There just seemed to be no direct evidence making him an Al Qaeda member and quite a bit of evidence that demonstrated he was doing his own thuggish thing," Wilkerson said.

http://www.attytood.com/archives/003169.html

Yes, and Rumsfeld seemed to agree with that, that Zarqawi was NOT Al Queda, but rather a rival of that group, in Oct. 2004 as I posted elsewhere in this thread.

Iow, this administration has never really addressed the lies told about Al Zarqawi in order to convince the American people to go to war. Since then, one or the other of their spokesperson have 'used' Al Zarqawi without referring to his missing leg, whenever it is expedient to do so. If the press had done its job of course, we'd have some of them on the record. But, with the exception of a few reporters, the press has let them slide once again, on what is a very important question.

There's lots more available information. I hope that helps a little. And I hope someone puts it all together in a way that makes it easier for people to understand, those who have been depending on the MSM for their news.

[countryjake]

19. Disappeared into the "memory hole"!

That Wilkerson piece was the one about the leg theory that I was looking for...thanks for referring to that.

I've recently found that so many of my bookmarked links to stories and interviews no longer work, after having them stored for a long, long time and referring back to them on many occasions...all of a sudden lots of "Error 404" pages are popping up on well-used links. Of course, stating that makes me a paranoid, even tho that WaPo article clearly points out their tactic of using propaganda. Manipulation is a multi-faceted ploy and for those of us who do prefer to do our own research, it's getting harder and harder to dig things up, save what we've searched for, or even keep it organized effectively. Some of us must stay one step ahead of their game, as information gets twisted, for sure.

Your original post, combined with other's contributions to it, is one good jumping-off point for those who want more on the mystery of Zarqawi, and all the psyops surrounding him. I appreciate that "show me" attitude and the need to provide the truth is more important now, than ever before.

[oasis]

10. Bushco. elevates the status of a two bit thug like Zarkawi and the media

gets the public to buy it.

Wake up America.

[LibertyorDeath]

12. Thank you

"On April 10, 2006, the Washington Post reported that the U.S. military conducted a major propaganda offensive designed to exaggerate Zarqawi's role in the Iraqi insurgency. Gen. Mark Kimmitt says of the propaganda campaign that there "was no attempt to manipulate the press." In an internal briefing, Kimmitt is quoted as stating, "The Zarqawi PSYOP program is the most successful information campaign to date." The main goal of the propaganda campaign seems to have been to exacerbate a rift between insurgent forces in Iraq, but intelligence experts worry that it has actually enhanced Zarqawi's influence."

[countryjake]

13. Thanks for doing this research!

It's always good to see a level-head amongst all the hype and hysteria!

Kicked, bookmarked, and recommended!

[Catrina]

17. Thank you, countryjake ~ it's amazing what they admit in that WAPO

article. That they intended to cause division between the Iraqis ~ if what is happening there now, the daily killing of Iraqis, is what they wanted and the result of their PSYOPS, they are even worse than I had originally thought they were ~

[mhatrw]

18. Thanks. Just a bit more ...

WaPo - Zarqawi is a US Military PSYOP: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/09/AR2006040900890.html

The NY Times Played Along: http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002314713

Zarqawi - Bush's Man For All Seasons: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FJ15Ak02.html

UPI (Moonie Times) - How the US Created the Zarqawi Myth: http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:2QuiYcfLZV0J:www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php%3FStoryID%3D20051110-014753-2561r+Claim:+U.S.+Created+al-Zarqawi+Myth&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1

CIA Agent Says US Allowed Zarqawi to Escape: http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/us-allowed-zarqawi-to-escape/2006/04/30/1146335608444.html

How the US fuelled myth of Zarqawi the mastermind: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/10/04/wirq04.xml

Reputed Terrorist Al-Zarqawi Still Shrouded in U.S.-Fed Myth, Mystery: http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/1546

Zarqawi - Everywhere & Nowhere: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GG07Ak02.html

A collection of pix of our happily finally actually dead parrot: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2327738&mesg_id=2328504

A collection of previous links saying Zarqawi was dead, seriously injured or captured: http://www.conjur.com/blog/2005/11/20/zarqawis-dead-again-3rd-times-a-charm-eh

From: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2006/04/10/GR2006041000097.html

[Catrina]

21. Thank you for that great post.. Your links are excellent additions

to this thread ~ I wish there was a reporter who put all the available information together and publish it to counter the outright contradictions we are now hearing from, especially, Bush and Rumsfeld.

When you read everything that has been written about Zarqawi over the years since the Iraq War became the focus of this administration, it's very, very difficult to find anything that supports their claim that he is a top, Al Queda leader.

Otoh, here is much to support the claims that, as Gen. Kimmett himself said, he was part of the best PSYOPS they conducted during this war.

I really appreciate your adding this post to the thread. Symbolman had suggested adding the number of times Zarqawi was 'killed', so thanks for the link to that story also. And especially for the WAPO link.

[joe_shmoe]

20. GREAT POST!!!!!!! - and to all the

gullibles who bought that Zarqawi shit - please try to debunk this post.

I'm sorry to be so straight forward but, if you bought the Zarqawi retard shit, you should be ashamed of yourelves.


Really, I am a decent guy.

[Catrina]

22. *lol* ~ Welcome to DU, Joe ~

If the media right now, would even refer back to their own sporadic reporting on the Zarqawi story, at least people would have the opportunity to make up their own minds as to what to believe. But even people like Al Franken on AAR are it reporting from the angle that 'we could have killed him' several times before, which may make people think there was no attempt to do so, but doesn't tell the whole story of what, as you can see from the links, the MSM themselves reported on in the past.

[countryjake]

30. "people would have the opportunity to make up their own minds"...

as to what to believe...that is the crux of it all! To be given the opportunity to anyalyze various slants, examine the causes and investigate results, and actually do our own thinking to reach any understanding, is part of learning to be open-minded. Nobody will ever convince me that using critical thinking to evaluate any situation is even remotely similar to "conspiracy theories", ha!

[Sydnie]

23. Kicking this and rec'd too

don't have time to read it now, but will revisit it soon.

Thanks Catrina! Good research and great post!

[bobthedrummer]

24. Propaganda and domestic psychological operations thread

from our DU archives.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1265606

[joe_shmoe]

25. Kick! and we're waiting for an intelligent debunk on this post

but, most likely, we'll just pretend we didn't see this and start postting complaints about all the DU conspiracy theory nuts on DU.

Again, if you bought that Zarqawi crap the last few years, I think you can pretty much make an American believe anything these day.

pathetic

[NNN0LHI]

27. You can pretty much make SOME Americans believe anything these days

And it is pathetic.

Don

[Catrina]

28. True ~ still, at least we know better now not to accept what's on TV

Little by little as people do their own research and pass it along to others, the tide begins to turn ~ as it has over the past year ~

[bobthedrummer]

29. If anyone denigrates the facts that this latest incident meets most

of the criteria of perception management (which includes PSY-OPS) here is another thread from our archives that should be considered.

"Reality vs. perception management: the tinfoil controversy"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x71919#top

[bobthedrummer]

31. kick