Al-Qaeda in Iraq unlikely to crumble even with Zarqawi's demise: US general - AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The network of Al-Qaeda cells in Iraq is unlikely to crumble even if its leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been killed or wounded, a senior US general said.

Brigadier General Carter Ham said the US military could neither confirm nor deny reports that the Jordanian militant has been seriously wounded and that his network is seeking a new leader to replace him.

"While Zarqawi certainly is an important character, his organization is bigger than just one guy," Ham said. "And so his demise, whether he'd be captured, which would preferable, or if he's killed or wounded, that will not cause al-Qaeda in Iraq to cease to function."

The rest of the story