Iraq militant leader Zarqawi wounded, web report says

BAGHDAD - Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq and one of Washington's most wanted men, has been wounded, according to a web posting.

The statement, which US officials said could be a ploy, was posted on an Islamist site that often publicises Zarqawi's group. It was released on another day of violence in Iraq, with three US soldiers and two Iraqis killed in car bombings.

"O nation of Islam... Pray for the healing of our Sheikh Abu Musab al-Zarqawi from an injury he suffered in the path of God," said the posting by al Qaeda Organisation for Holy War in Iraq.

"You are the beloved of the mujahideen, and may God heal you and make you steadfast," the statement said.

The announcement follows unconfirmed reports this month that Zarqawi, a Jordanian for whom the Americans have offered a $25 million bounty, was wounded in fighting in western Iraq and had sought treatment at a hospital in Ramadi, west of Baghdad.

Those reports followed the capture of one of Zarqawi's drivers, an aide and his laptop computer during raids in western Iraq, when the US military said it almost caught Zarqawi.

Zarqawi and Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda's overall leader, are Washington's two most-wanted men.

Tuesday's web posting did not say how or where Zarqawi was wounded, but urged his followers to pray for his recovery. The language used indicated his injuries could be severe.

"The injury of our leader is an honour and an incentive to tighten the noose on the enemies of God and a reason to step up our attacks on them," the statement said, citing Koranic verses that referred to the Prophet Mohammad being wounded in battle.

If Zarqawi were captured or killed it would mark a significant breakthrough for US and Iraqi forces, although analysts also warn it would not put an end to the insurgency.

"I think it's pretty credible....I wouldn't be surprised if within a couple of days he ends up being dead and they end up proclaiming his martyrdom," David Claridge of Janusian Security Risk Management in London said of the web posting.

"It will have an impact, but for that group only. I think the insurgency itself will carry on probably much as it is."

The US military in Iraq and the Pentagon in Washington said they had no new intelligence on Zarqawi's status.

"He's still our number one target to be captured or killed and until that happens the hunt is still on," said Lieutenant Colonel Steve Boylan, a US military spokesman.

He said similar reports had been heard in the past and were almost impossible to verify. "This could be another one of their ploys, you never know," he said.

A State Department official reiterated that view. "As with any of these kind of stories we have no idea whether this has any basis in fact or not," the official said.

- REUTERS