Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

Response positive to U.S. air raid
By Autumn Waska
Daily Mississippian (U. Mississippi)
06/12/2006

(U-WIRE) OXFORD, Miss. — Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, former commander for Osama bin Laden, was killed Wednesday night during an air raid, a move that some University of Mississippi professors are calling a step towards eliminating terrorism.

"Symbolically, one of the faces of the insurgency has been removed from the scene and this cannot be discounted in terms of its importance," said Timothy Nordstrom, an assistant professor of political science. "However, the true substantive effect will not be known for many months."

After being led to Zarqawi from an inside source, United States troops seized the village of Hib Hib, Iraq and confirmed that Zarqawi was hidden in an abandoned house in the village.

Troops dropped a 500-pound laser-guided bomb on the home where Zarqawi remained alive through impact, but died shortly after.

Joseph Blackburn, a professor of military science said, "This is a huge victory for us. He was the unquestioned leader of the movement.

"Not only did we take out him and his spiritual advisor and captured and killed others, but also received the intelligence that the force has collected with subsequent efforts," said Blackburn.

Blackburn agreed with Nordstrom that the effects of Zarqawi's death are hard to measure immediately, but that the move is a positive one for the United States.

"When you consider what he's done with terrorist acts, countless killings of innocent women and children, the civilized world can't see this as anything other than a tremendous accomplishment," said Joseph Blackburn, a professor of military science.

Extremist Muslims looked up to Zarqawi as a leader after his efforts to start a holy war.

He was linked to several suicide bombings, including one at a wedding party and a hotel.

"He is a murderer," said David McElreath, professor and chair of legal studies. "He has been behind the assassinations of innocent people."

While military officials are receiving criticism about United States troops being involved in Iraq, McElreath believes the fight is well worthwhile.

"We are too quick to create scoreboards in America," he said, concerned by questions of "how many have we lost?" or "how long have we been over there?"

"For every one of those [innocent civilian deaths] that happens, you have ten thousand stories of self-sacrifice that are never heard. These guys [United States troops] believe in what they are doing."

McElreath said the United States is the powerhouse in the world and that terrorist groups strive to diminish America's strength, fighting with "asymmetric warfare."

McElreath is also concerned about the innocent war victims in Iraq.

"We're the infidel, but we're also the best chance they have for the future," said McElreath. "We're their last best chance."

Zarqawi, actually named Ahmad Fadhil Nazzal al-Khalayleh, was 39 at the time of his death.

He was born in Zarqa, Jordan.

In the 1980s, he fought against the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan and was arrested for anti-government activity in the 1990s.

After his release from prison, Zarqawi connected himself with Osama bin Laden, leader of the insurgent group al Qaeda.

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