NEWS: Propaganda War Being Waged in Iraq, page 1

In February, the U.S. coalition in Iraq made public an intercepted letter it said was written by Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi to al-Qaida leaders. In the letter were plans for spectacular attacks to derail the June 30 handover of power to the Iraqis. U.S. officials say al-Zarqawi may have been involved in some of the series of suicide bombings this year in Iraq. President Bush last October mentioned Zarqawi as a "very senior al Qaeda leader who received medical treatment in Baghdad this year, and who has been associated with planning for chemical and biological attacks." Now an alleged pamphlet, statement, is being circulated in Iraq, which states that Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi is dead and that the "fabricated al-Zarqawi memo" has been used by the U.S.-run coalition "to back up their theory of a civil war" in Iraq. Al-Zarqawi is reported to have been killed in the bombing of the Sulaimaniyah region last year. He is reported to have an artificial leg which hampered his escape.

The Information War is a very important issue in order to resolve issues and bring peace to Iraq. If the United States cannot be trusted by the Iraqi people, more US lives will be lost and more attacks will occur. Iraqis have began to question the recent attacks on #es and have already burnt USA flags, claiming it the USA that is responsible for the attacks on civilians. If more Iraqis become convinced that the USA is trying to instigate a civil war and undermine their authority, then we would be in a worse situation in the country. It would seem that we currently have the weaker hand in this issue in Iraq.

Alleged Statement by Iraqi Militants Claims Al-Zarqawi Is Dead
A Jordanian extremist suspected of bloody suicide attacks in Iraq was killed some time ago in U.S. bombing and a letter outlining plans for fomenting sectarian war is a forgery, a statement allegedly from an insurgent group west of the capital said.
"The truth is, al-Qaida is not present in Iraq," the Mujahedeen statement said. Though many Arabs entered the country to fight U.S. troops, only a small number remain, the group said.
U.S. Says Files Seek Qaeda Aid in Iraq Conflict
Still, a senior United States intelligence official in Washington said, "I know of no reason to believe the letter is bogus in any way." He said the letter was seized in a raid on a known Qaeda safe house in Baghdad, and did not pass through Iraqi groups that American intelligence officials have said in the past may have provided unreliable information.
Without providing further specifics, the senior intelligence officer said there was additional information pointing to the idea that Al Qaeda was considering mounting or had already mounted attacks on Shiite targets in Iraq.

[Edited on 3-4-2004 by worldwatcher]