Visiting Soldiers in Iraq

A Big Victory in the War on Terror

For more than three years, the man Osama bin Laden called "the prince of al-Qaeda" orchestrated terror attacks that killed thousands of Iraqis, American troops and coalition forces. Now, thanks to hard work and dedication of the U.S. military and our coalition partners, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's reign of terror is over.

Zarqawi masterminded many of the kidnappings, beheadings and bombings that followed the liberation of Iraq from Saddam Hussein's grip. He was al-Qaeda's man on the ground in Iraq, pulling the strings in their effort to turn the country of Iraq into the focal point for the War on Terror.

Since the U.S. and our coalition partners liberated Iraq, bin Laden has sought to defeat the efforts of the people of Iraq to transform their nation into a peace-loving democracy so he can turn it into a radical Islamic state where al-Qaeda calls the shots. The air strike that killed Zarqawi has dealt bin Laden's organization a crucial blow by eliminating the man he trusted to wage his jihad in Iraq. It is a major victory in the War on Terror.

News of Zarqawi's death sparked celebrations in the streets of Iraq. Many Iraqis see it as an opportunity to end the post-"Operation Iraqi Freedom" terror attacks that have been a barrier to ushering in democracy and prosperity in Iraq. Here at home, it has reinforced the pride and confidence we have in our brave men and women of the U.S. armed forces to win the War on Terror.

Our servicemen and women have fought valiantly since the vicious unprovoked attacks of 9/11. They liberated the people of Afghanistan from the Taliban, an abusive regime that once harbored Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda leadership. They no longer have a safe haven and are on the run. Their hopes of creating a new Taliban-like state in Iraq has now suffered a major setback with our military's latest success in getting Zarqawi.

Since the end of the initial operation in Iraq, many of my Democratic colleagues have called for a full withdrawal of our troops from Iraq. When the attacks on U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians intensified, so did their calls for us to pull out. If we had heeded those calls and not allow our military to operate, Zarqawi would most likely still be alive and making greater strides toward turning Iraq into al-Qaeda's new home base.

Since the liberation of Afghanistan and Iraq, we have captured or killed hundreds of suspected terrorists. Our servicemen and women have rooted terrorists out of hiding all over the globe. They deserve our utmost support and praise for keeping us safe and making the world a better place.

These missions are far from over, and the War on Terror is sure to continue until terrorists are no longer a threat to our security. Everyone has rightly noted that the violence in Iraq is not going to end just because we eliminated Zarqawi from the picture. However, the effects of his death on the terrorists' agenda cannot be discounted. He was successful in recruiting and training jihadists in al-Qaeda's campaign to overtake Iraq. They have now lost their leader.

The people of Iraq can continue to work to stabilize their country without worrying about Zarqawi lurking in the corner. We can take relief in knowing Osama's "prince" is dead. And we all have our military to thank for that.

http://www.boozman.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=45131