The web pages of the main European dailies of 8 June were immediately filled with news of the death of Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born terrorist considered the head of Al Qaeda in Iraq and the lieutenant of Osama Bin Laden. He was killed during a US aerial bombardment at Baquba, 65 km north of Baghdad on the evening of 7 Jun and his death was announced on the following day by the Iraqi premier, the Shiite Nouri al-Maliki. Fact files, photos, videos, biographies, comments, live coverage or news from Iraq and forums for readers: everything there is to know about the super-terrorist, the perpetrator of scores of terrorist attacks and incredible acts of violence. “Al Zarqawi de-activated” headlines the German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung which sums up the life of the “combatant of God and leading terrorist” in a biography. “Al-Zarqawi is dead” , writes Die Welt . “The terrorist chief Zarqawi killed in an air attack” , reports Der Spiegel . “Al-Zarqawi eliminated today” headlines the Süddeutsche Zeitung online, citing the statement of Iraqi premier, al-Maliki. Similar headlines appeared in France too. “The head of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Al Zarqawi, has been killed” headlines Le Monde which reprints a comment that had already appeared in the paper on 2 May, on the most wanted man in Iraq: “Some considered him an invention of the Americans to justify their presence in the country of the two rivers, others considered him seriously injured and encircled by groups of the Iraqi resistance tired of being considered barbarians due to the violence perpetrated by the terrorist. But he then re-appeared, in good form, in a video of 26 April”. It was that same video which, according to the Italian Corriere.it, the internet edition of the daily Corriere della Sera , helped “the US, Iraqi and Jordanian secret services to locate him” . “ The killing of Abu Musab Al Zarkawi, apart from putting an end to the blood-thirsty career of a terrorist, represents – say the paper – an injection of confidence for the authorities in Baghdad and the coalition. It’s a sign of recovery after months of setbacks at the hand of the guerrillas and the Jihadist insurgency”. The online version of the French Catholic daily La Croix speaks of the death of Zarqawi, but without giving undue emphasis to the news: “Al Zarqawi killed in an air raid” reads the headline. The paper also reports that “an American bounty of 25 million dollars had been placed on the head of the Jordanian terrorist”. A similar line is taken by the Spanish El Pais which reports: “The leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Al Zarqawi, dies in a US bombardment”. After describing his death, El Pais reconstructs the life of the terrorist whom it calls “public enemy number one in Iraq” . The British daily The Guardian” is more concise: “Eliminated!” . The paper offers a news blog and a comment “Hometown hero” by Ghaith Abdul-Ahad : “a taciturn man – that’s the description of the Jordanian terrorist by the few who knew him well – always immersed in his thoughts, and in the more extremist ideas of Bin Laden to the point of repeating that the head of Al Qaeda was too tolerant” but at the same time a man able to incite his militias, speaking “with authority and the capacity to win over hearts and minds”. On the same day of the raid in which Al Zarqawi met his death, La Croix (7/6) dedicated a reportage to Iraq, with the title “Iraq, a war without end” . “After three years of American occupation, Iraq remains in a state of insurgency. The scandal of Haditha where the Marines allegedly assassinated innocent civilians is sapping the morale of the troops” writes Stephanie Fontenoy . “The distance between the American troops and the population is great. An evident malaise reigns in the army of Uncle Sam” continues the article, which also reports some comments by US soldiers and graduates. They include that of Matthew Friedman, head of the national Center for Post-Traumatic Disorders at the American Department of State: “In Iraq – he says – the troops suffer from psychological stress due to the state of insurgency . One veteran out of six is said to show signs of depression and anxiety and one out of three to have had recourse to specialist medical treatment. Is the decision to provide a course on military and ethical values on the battlefield – to avoid the massacres of civilians like that of Haditha – merely an opportunistic ploy or is it a genuine attempt to send the right message to the troops?” That’s the final question posed by the journalist. The Palestinian question and the future of the State of Israel remain at the centre of international attention at the present time. Writing in the Frankfurter Rundschau (7/6), Karl Grobe comments: “ The international community is anxiously waiting to see whether Hamas will be willing to indirectly recognise Israel. In that case peace would still be far from being achieved, but a way would be found to get out of the impasse”. “Putting pressure on Hamas to recognise the existence of Israel is only possible with talks; so far, sanctions have only caused increasing radicalization. The efforts of Abbas to get Hamas to accept consensus on the basis of the 18-point document may lead to a solution of the impasse, but not to peace in the region. To obtain that, a willingness to negotiate with Israel, the USA and the other powers is needed“. Writing in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (8/6), Jörg Bremer observes: “ With the proposal of a referendum, Abbas has taken the initiative. He uses his power on the basis of the constitutional laws. But that’s not devoid of risks: Hamas is threatening not only to boycott the referendum, but also subsequently to resume its clandestine operations and “armed military struggle”, i.e. terrorism“.
