We haven't heard much about Zarqawi's "replacement" since we found out he was in jail already

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/02/world/middleeast/03iraqcnd.html?ex=1309492800&en=03562e442ed8209e&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

<snip>Mr. Douri became the country's most-wanted man after the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the former leader of the insurgent group Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia who was killed in an American airstrike last month. Mr. Zarqawi's replacement, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, known sometimes as Sheik Abu Mamza al-Muhajer, also appeared on the most-wanted list today; the American government issued a $5 million bounty for him on Friday.


http://english.aljazeera.net/news/archive/archive?ArchiveId=24294

Zarqawi successor 'in Egypt jail'

Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, the purported successor of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, is in an Egyptian prison and not Iraq, a lawyer has claimed.

Egyptian newspaper Al-Masri al-Yawm has quoted Mamduh Ismail as saying he met al-Muhajir, also known as Sharif Hazaa, or Abu Ayub al-Masri, in Tura prison in Cairo, where he has been held for seven years.

"Sharif Hazaa is in Tura prison, and I met him two days ago while I was visiting some of my clients," Ismail, a lawyer known for defending Islamist groups, told the newspaper.

Al-Muhajir is on the "most wanted" list issued by the Iraqi government last week. The US military in Iraq has put a $5 million price on his head.

The US army media centre in Iraq said: "We cannot comment on the news that ... al-Masri is in an Egyptian prison and not in Iraq, we have to clarify that from the Egyptian government."



The US military had announced after the death of al-Zarqawi that al-Masri had been appointed the leader of al-Qaeda's organisation in Iraq.

[sabra]

1. it's all about Iran now... that's the new talking point

[oblivious]

2. He could easily be two places at once you know.

Zarqawi often managed to do stuff like that even while dead. Why I remember even while he was running the Iraq insurgency, he was able to find time to slip into Syria and Lebanon to set up Al-qaeda cells.

These al-qaeda leaders are not mere mortals you know.

[Igel]

4. I had the weirdest experience overseas one summer.

I was on an exchange program to study a language.

My name was called on the first day of class, and some Brits in the class said that I was going to be a few days late. Instead I raised my hand and said 'here' (in the local language, of course). Afterwards they came up and wanted to know what I was about, because I certainly wasn't their friend from London. Not even from the same country. Their friend was held up and was going to start the program a few days late.

I finally showed them my passport to get them to shut up; their friend and I had the same first name and surname (and middle initial). A few days later I got to meet him. Same color hair, same color eyes, but hardly a doppelganger. He was fair skinned while I'm a bit ruddy. He was an inch shorter, 10 years my junior, and didn't have a moustache. He also dressed in all black and smoked clove cigarettes (fop!), but he did literature while I did linguistics so being a fop was de rigueur.

I felt it was necessary to actually give an example to show that rather than one person being in two places, two people could have the same name.

I imagine it would have been quite a bit easier to meet my name-double had I had an Arabic nomme de guerre 'first name' and a Qur'aan-based epithet for my surname; there are far more Anglo-Irish first names and surnames. Abu Hamza isn't his given name--Hamza was Muhammed's uncle and a 'valiant warrior', a Sahaabi, i.e., one of those that took in Muhammed and his early followers on the Hegira, and by saying he's Hamza's father he's saying that he admires or wants to emulate him. His 'last name' says he identifies with (desires to emulate) one of the group of early Muslims that went on the Hegira with Muhammed (i.e., a muhajir). Presumably they know the real name of the Egyptian; the guy in Iraq, well, he apparently has a second epithet and I'm not sure they have a good guess as to what his given name or what passes for his last name would be.

[oblivious]

3. It seems US propaganda is tying itself in knots in Iraq.

In the Dec 24 raid, they accused Iraqi Shiite leaders of confabulating with Iranian military men to import EDs and other weapons.

In the Dec 12 raid, they imply the Iraqi Kurdish leaders are doing the same by inviting and protecting Iranians linked to the military.

Al-qaeda, being Sunni, are ostensibly allied with the Sunni militias.

So, the Kurds and Shites, allied with the Iranians, are fighting the Sunnis.

Ergo, the US and Al-qaeda are allies?????