Finally, we killed the fucker.
Abu Musab Al Zarqawi was an evil person. His death is nothing but a good thing. His role in the insurgency was big, but not overwhelming, there will be replacements. He was more of a coordinator for the jihadist element, which is not the biggest threat in Iraq right now. But he was the major backer of suicide bombers and head severings in the country and I don't care what anyone says, capture would have been a far less desirable goal than death. Look at Saddam. Now he's a one man circus with a spotlight. And his following is not nearly as widespread as someone like AMZ, who related to the international islamist terrorist movement.
I know there are plenty of others writing about this event, but it is a big deal and here in Iraq we are very happy. I wanted to come right down here and post as soon as I heard, but I was in the middle of an assignment. And just to let you know, the soldiers here are happy with the news but in no way under the delusion that this will end the insurgency or that someone will not replace this stain on humanity. We are just proud of a job well done (finally). Hopefully the prominance he (deservedly or not) has accumulated over the years will bring ordinary Iraqis around and convince them to cooperate with our forces. Many of them want us to stop the insurgents but their fear outweighs their willingness to help. Perhaps this will boost their confidence in our ability to protect them.