The United states Air Force (private mercenaries) conducts a raid on Hibhib, Iraq, severely wounding Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, First Emir of al-Qaida in Iraq.   When U.s. Soldiers arrive they drag al-Zarqawi out of an ambulance and beat him to death. 

NOTES:

• Al-Zarqawi, was believed to have been personally involved in the beheadings of at least two Americans, as well as coordinating suicide bombings against U.s. Armed Forces, and kidnappings of Iraqi citizens.
• Al-Zarqawi’s assassination will probably do little to improve U.s. standing in the Arab world, as the damage has already been done through a decade long-presence of U.s. military bases on the “Holy Peninsula” (Saudi Arabia).   Al-Zarqawi was a Jordanian-born Arab, who probably would not have gone to Iraq, had the U.s. not destabilized Iraq through Operation Iraqi Fiefdom.

       [restored 2/17/2024]