U.S. Troops hunt al-Qaida in raids in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. troops conducted nearly 40 raids Friday in
Iraq, taking advantage of information gleaned from searches following Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's death, a military spokesman said, revealing new information about the man believed to be poised to take the terror leader's place.

Fearing reprisals, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki also imposed a driving ban in Baghdad and in Diyala, fearing insurgents will seek to avenge his death.

U.S. Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, the military spokesman, also said that al-Zarqawi was alive when Iraqi police arrived at the strike scene and that U.S. forces also saw him alive.

"We did in fact see him alive. There was some kind of movement he had on the stretcher and he died immediately after," Caldwell said. "He mumbled something but it was indistinguishable and it was very short."

He also said U.S. troops conducted 39 raids across Iraq, including some directly related to the information they obtained from the strike against al-Zarqawi. Those were in addition to 17 raids conducted after the terror leader was killed Wednesday evening.

Caldwell also said Egyptian-born Abu Ayyub al-Masri would likely take the reins of al-Qaida in Iraq, providing the full name of the militant for the first time. Al-Masri was named in a February 2005 announcement by the U.S. Central Command as a close associate of al-Zarqawi and had a $50,000 bounty placed on his head.

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Well yesterday as I celebrated the death of this monster, I heard those that said that they where sad because a person was killed, and they are all high and mighty because I happen to enjoy the death of that piece of cow dung. If you want to know the crazy madman we just killed than just click Here and you will see our true enemy. I am glad he is dead and i'm glad that we are taking the fight to the enemy. They are gaining even more ground with the info they got from the death of that coward. Let cowards beware we will find you, we will take you out, you will not win, the American Army will crush you.