American troops went staged roughly 40 raids throughout Iraq on Friday in an effort to root out strongholds of the militant group calling itself al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Information found in the hideout of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed yesterday during an American air strike, was helpful in staging the raids.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki also declared a ban on driving in Baghdad and in Diyala province out of fear of reprisals by insurgents. Al-Zarqawi was killed in Diyala province.
Reports now released by the American military indicate that al-Zarqawi was alive after Thursday's air strike. When he saw American troops approaching, he tried to get off of his stretcher and mumbled something that was unintelligible according to U.S. military spokesman Major General William Caldwell. Caldwell said that the terrorist leader 'attempted to sort of turn away off the stretcher, everybody reached to insert him back. ... He died a short time later from the wounds suffered during the air strike.
'We did in fact see him alive,' Caldwell added. 'There was some sort of movement he had on the stretcher and he did die a short time later. There was confirmation from the Iraqi police that he was found alive.'
The U.S. military also said that four other people were killed in the air strike that finished al-Zarqawi including one woman and one child. The terrorist's 'spiritual consultant,' Abu Abdul-Rahman al-Iraqi, was also killed in the attack.
Caldwell warned that al-Zarqawi's death would not end the violence in Iraq. He said that another terrorist, Egyptian-born Abu al-Masri was poised to take over the leadership of al-Qaeda in Iraq. American forces say that al-Masri is an expert at making roadside bombs which are the leading cause of death among American troops.
