Zarqawi's wife, in hiding in Europe, tells Italy's La Republicca her husband was set up by Al Qaeda because he had become too powerful. She says he was “the victim of a secret pact between Iraqi resistance fighters, the leaders of Al Qaeda and the American secret services to eliminate him." In return, the U.S. agreed to slow down its hunt for Bin Laden, Mrs. Z claims.A friend at a conservative think tank says by email today: "It does seem to me possible that there might be something to the idea that Al-Qaeda hung him out for us to take down because after all he was rapidly eclipsing Zawaheri and Bin Laden and didn't seem to mind the fame as a matter of fact he was a fame whore. "
He also points out such a scenario would be in keeping with Al Qaeda's previous actions: "(i.e. taking Azzam out."
He adds: "Although I doubt that there was any active complicity between the US and Al-Qaeda. (there were statements that we had help from someone senior in the organization (although that could have been the guy the Jordanian caught) and even some odd statements of some of the American men on the ground about how whenever they moved near the area that the operation occurred the kids would come out to greet them and people would come out and wave but this time when they moved in everyone stayed inside.)
However regardless of the truth, (after all who really cares as long as he is dead) in the conspiracy theory loving Middle East it could be very valuable for us to quietly encourage this type of thinking and theorizing because it could give some serious pause to the middle and upper echelons of leadership as well as make the lower cannon fodder question the "nobility" of the cause because of the willingness of Al-Qaeda to take out one of their own primary leaders. After all not every new recruit is wanting to become the next Al-Qaeda martyr some of them want to move up the ranks. Also it might make the leadership of other organizations/groups in the region and around the world less willing to work with Al-Qaeda. Anyway just a thought. "
