24 Hours Later: Still No Confirmation

24 hours after the initial Jerusalem Post article indicated that Zarqawi may have been among those killed in a raid on a compound near Mosul, we still have no confirmation. But we do have more details on the raid and some interesting media observations.

The New York Times doesn't see fit to give this potentially significant story front page coverage online, above the fold or below. The Bergen Record, on the other hand, has the Zarqawi situation as its banner headline in its paper edition, though it too buries the story online.

This morning, the Washington Post confirms that seven of the people killed at the compound were al Qaeda. The authorities are trying to confirm the identities, and that includes whether one of the dead was Zarqawi:

U.S. and Iraqi forces remained deployed around the site of the three-hour gunfight Saturday at a house in the city of Mosul, north of Baghdad. Children stayed home from class on Sunday, a school day in the Islamic world, and other residents kept off the streets, presumably fearing that more fighting might result from the heavy military presence in the city.

Joint forces backed by U.S. military helicopters had surrounded the house after receiving a tip that led them to believe that Zarqawi might be inside, the governor of Nineveh province, Duraid Kashmoula, said Saturday.

As Iraqi soldiers and U.S. Special Forces advisers went into the building, grenades rained down from the roof, wounding 11 of them, according to a U.S. Army officer near where the raid occurred. Multiple explosions collapsed the building, and two American Special Forces troops were killed, he said.

Kashmoula said four of the fighters inside died while resisting the assault, and three others blew themselves up with explosives rather than be captured. A woman was also found inside with the words "suicide bomber" marked on her chest, officials said. Brig. Gen. Said Ahmed Jubouri, a police commander in Mosul, said the force of the suicide blasts destroyed the house.

Zarqawi is the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, a group allied with the larger al Qaeda organization and that is believed responsible for many suicide attacks in Iraq.

Kashmoula said U.S. officials retrieved the remains and were investigating whether Zarqawi was among the dead.

U.S. military officials believe it is possible that Zarqawi was killed in the raid but will not know with certainty until DNA tests are run, said a U.S. military intelligence official involved in Iraqi issues.

There is a "30 percent" chance that one of the bodies is Zarqawi's, he said. But he warned: "We've had dry holes before."

That's a pretty significant statement - someone is actually giving odds on Zarqawi having been killed in the raid. Ace noticed as well.

Iraq the Model doesn't have any updates as of this writing, but that may change as he pores through the Arab news and local reports. Stephen Green of Vodkapundit is amazed at how badly the terrorists miscalculated in attacking Jordan. I'd say that the terrorists misunderestimated this whole conflict from the get-go. They thought that they could roil the US domestic political landscape and that was sufficient to cause the US to cut and run, and that attacking friendly countries might be sufficient to waiver in their support of the US. They were wrong (so far) on both counts. If anything, the attacks have bolstered support for the anti-terror campaigns.

Meanwhile, The Jawa Report is noting that 17 al Qaeda suspects were rounded up in Morocco. Two of those rounded up were former 'tourists' staying at Club GitMo courtesy of the US government who were sent on their way. I guess they want to get back to GitMo that bad. Ah, the joys of revolving door 'justice.'

UPDATE:
MSNBC is reporting that we just missed Zarqawi.

U.S. forces "just missed" capturing terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in a gunfight over the weekend in the northern city of Mosul, U.S. military sources told NBC News on Monday.

The military had intelligence that indicated al-Zarqawi was meeting with high-level Iraq in al-Qaida lieutenants, a Pentagon source said.

As soldiers closed in on the site, there was an exchange of small arms fire, then it appears the three al-Qaida suspects blew themselves up to avoid capture.

One should keep in mind that Zarqawi was imprisoned in Jordan until 1999 when he was released on a general amnesty following the death of King Hussein of Jordan.

UPDATE:
Don Surber's getting all wobbly over the inability to whack the terrorist headmasters quickly enough. Fact is, it's very difficult to kill or capture individuals who don't want to be caught. For example, Carlos the Jackal was on the lamb for years before finally being captured. Zarqawi, Zawahiri, and OBL are doing their best to avoid capture or detection, and it sometimes takes time to catch a break to bring 'em to justice.

UPDATE:
Media Lies makes some interesting observations, including that OSM and bloggers trying to get scoops over old media may result in the same kinds of mistakes that the bloggers excoriate the old media for. Good point. It's better to be accurate than quick. If you can be both, even better. Still, we have no confirmation one way or the other on Zarqawi's status. Atlas notes that the remains of the terrorists were quite poor, which can hinder the identification process. Abrahcadabrah is also following the story.

UPDATE:
Others following the story: TMH Bacon Bits, Bright and Early, Stop the ACLU, and Big Lizards