Abu Musab al-Zarqawi lived for 52 minutes after a U.S. warplane bombed his
hideout northeast of Baghdad, and he died of extensive internal injuries
consistent with those caused by a bomb blast, the U.S. military said Monday.
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A picture of the dead
Al Qaeda leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, is displayed by the U.S.
military during a news conference at the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad
June 8, 2006. [Reuters]
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Col. Steve Jones, command surgeon for Multinational Forces, said an autopsy
concluded that al-Zarqawi died from serious injuries to his lungs. An FBI test
positively identified al-Zarqawi's remains.
Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Baghdad,
said U.S. forces arrived about 28 minutes after a fighter jet bombed
al-Zarqawi's hideout outside Baqouba on Wednesday. Medics secured al-Zarqawi's
airway but his breathing was shallow and labored, and he expelled blood from his
mouth.
"It was very evident he had extremely massive internal injuries," Caldwell
said.
Al-Zarqawi died 24 minutes after coalition forces arrived, he said.
Jones said the autopsy conducted Saturday showed that al-Zarqawi died from
injuries to his lungs.
"Blast waves from the two bombs caused tearing, bruising of the lungs and
bleeding," he said. "There was no evidence of firearm injuries."
The al-Qaida in Iraq leader also suffered head and facial wounds, bleeding in
his ears and a fracture of his lower right leg.
Caldwell said an F-16 dropped a 500-pound bomb on the house at 6:12 p.m. A
second bomb followed immediately after.
U.S. troops arrived at 6:40 p.m. and found Iraqi police at the site. He said
a coalition medic treated al-Zarqawi, who lapsed in and out of consciousness.
"At 7:04 p.m. on 7 June, Zarqawi was dead," Caldwell said.
He added that no decision had been made on what to do with the remains of
al-Zarqawi and his spiritual adviser, Sheik Abdul-Rahman, who also was killed
instantly in Wednesday's airstrike.
"These autopsies were performed to make a definitive determination as to the
cause of both Zarqawi's and Rahman's deaths," Caldwell said. "The scientific
facts provide irrefutable evidence regarding the deaths of terrorists will serve
to counter speculation, misinformation and propaganda."
