[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 10877-10878]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            DEATH OF ZARQAWI

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, later this morning, as I mentioned, the 
Senate will be voting on an amendment to commend the men and women of 
our Armed Forces for their bravery and skill which led to the death of 
Zarqawi, who was anointed by Osama bin Laden as the Prince of al-Qaida 
in Iraq.
  Al-Zarqawi was a brutal terrorist and, as we all know, the 
operational commander of al-Qaida in Iraq. His vicious campaigns of 
suicide attacks, car bombings, beheadings, assassinations, and 
abductions was directly responsible for the deaths of many American and 
coalition troops and thousands of Iraqi security forces and innocent 
citizens.
  He was violently opposed to the new Iraqi democracy and sought to 
turn Iraq into a safe haven for al-Qaida terrorists.
  To achieve this goal, he murdered thousands of innocent Iraqi 
civilians. He sought to divide the Iraqi people by fomenting sectarian 
violence and inciting a civil war. His goal was destruction, and he 
brought only violence and despair. But, finally, after 3 years of 
eluding capture, justice was brought to Zarqawi.
  At approximately 6:15 Baghdad time last Wednesday evening, American 
forces, acting on intelligence tips from the Iraqi people, attacked 
Zarqawi's safe house near the city of Baqouba, northeast of Baghdad.
  Zarqawi's spiritual adviser and several of their associates were also 
inside. Less than an hour later, the leading terrorist and No. 1 enemy 
of freedom in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was dead.
  This is a severe blow for al-Qaida and the terrorist enemy in Iraq. 
And it marks yet another victory in the global war on terror.
  The amendment I offered yesterday, along with a number of my 
colleagues, commends the courageous men and women of the U.S. military 
for their extraordinary efforts to eliminate this brutal terrorist, and 
for their commitment to helping secure a free, prosperous, and secure 
future for the Iraqi people.
  It also applauds the efforts of our coalition partners and the Iraqi 
Security Forces who contributed to this achievement.
  Iraqi security recruits had long been one of Zarqawi's primary 
targets. Despite repeated attacks against hopeful, young recruits, 
these brave Iraqis kept coming back. They have shown time and time 
again they are eager to assume their responsibilities and do what it 
takes to defend their democracy.
  The Iraqi public is also deserving of recognition. They defied 
Zarqawi's threats and streamed to the polls in three national 
elections. Against the threat of violence, they formed a permanent 
democratic government.
  In recent months, coalition forces have also received a tremendous 
increase in intelligence tips on the activities and whereabouts of 
terrorists directly from the Iraqi people. The number of actionable 
intelligence tips from the Iraqi population numbered only 483 in March 
of 2005. Since November of that year, the number of tips has 
skyrocketed to over 4,000 a month.
  The Iraqi people want peace. They want to defeat the terrorist enemy 
that uses them as human shields. They want to defend their country from 
chaos and terror.
  And so, Zarqawi has met his fate. But the fight to secure a free and 
democratic Iraq continues. The terrorists in Iraq will continue to 
wreak havoc and destruction. But they will not succeed. They cannot 
succeed. American forces, alongside our coalition partners and the 
Iraqi security forces, will remain on the offensive until the terrorist 
enemy is defeated.

[[Page 10878]]

  My Senate colleagues and I are filled with pride at the bravery, 
skill, and valor of our soldiers on the front line. We are grateful for 
their service, and we congratulate them for last week's successful 
mission to rid Iraq of its No. 1 terrorist.
  Our resolution also commends our Nation's civilian and military 
leadership, which includes President Bush and Defense Secretary 
Rumsfeld, for their continuing efforts to eliminate the leadership of 
al-Qaida in Iraq.
  Prime Minister Maliki and the new democratically elected Government 
deserve our gratitude and commendation.
  Here in the Senate, we will continue to support our men and women in 
uniform, the democratically elected Government of Iraq, and the Iraqi 
people as they strive for a free, prosperous, and democratic future.

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