The family of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has condemned the Jordanian-born terrorist.
According to news reports, fifty-seven family members signed a statement saying they "denounce in the clearest terms all the terrorist actions claimed by the so-called Ahmed Fadheel Zazzal al-Khalayleh, who calls himself Abu Musab al-Zarqawi." The statement also says that Zarqawi's family is "innocent of him and all that emanates from him, whether action, assertion, or decision." Moreover, of Zarqawi, his family writes, "We sever links with him until doomsday."
Al-Zarqawi heads al-Qaida in Iraq. His insurgent group is believed responsible for some of the worst suicide bombings. Scores of Iraqis have been killed.
"Nobody here supports the insurgency," Jameel Younan Nissan, an Iraqi, told a reporter after suicide bombers attacked the Hamra hotel in Baghdad. Mr. Nissan says, "Even before this attack, the feelings against Zarqawi were growing. He has no religion, no sect, no humanity."
Al-Zarqawi is the prime suspect in the planning of the terrorist attacks on three hotels in Amman, Jordan, in which fifty-seven people died. Jordan's King Abdullah the Second said his government "will pursue those criminals and those who are behind them."
"The tragic images of innocent victims can make it seem like these terrorist attacks are random and isolated acts of madness," says President George W. Bush. "While these killers choose their victims indiscriminately," he says, "their attacks flow from an ideology and a terrifying vision for the world":
"They've targeted the innocent in many countries, people from all walks of life. In Casablanca, they killed diners enjoying their evening meal. In Bali, they killed tourists who were on a holiday. In Beslan, they killed Russian schoolchildren. They've murdered workers in Riyadh, commuters in Madrid, and hotel guests in Jakarta, and guests at a wedding celebration in Amman, Jordan. They kill Iraqi children in Baghdad."
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has declared his allegiance with al-Qaida terrorist leader Osama bin-Laden. "The brutal violence," says President Bush, "is a clear sign of the terrorists determination to stop democracy from taking root in the Middle East." But Mr. Bush says the forces of terror will be defeated, "and the forces of freedom and moderation will prevail."
The preceding was an editorial reflecting the views of the United States Government.
