Specialists to examine al-Zarqawi
(AP)
Updated: 2006-06-11 10:18
The U.S. military flew in two forensic specialists Saturday to examine the
remains of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi "to see how he actually died" and to reconstruct
the last minutes of his life, a spokesman said.
The examination comes after U.S. authorities altered their initial account of
the al-Qaida leader's death, first saying he died outright in a U.S. airstrike,
then saying he survived but died soon after.
Also, an Iraqi man raised fresh questions, telling Associated Press
Television News that he saw U.S. soldiers beating an injured man resembling
al-Zarqawi until blood flowed from his nose.
Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Baghdad,
said the decision to fly in forensic experts was made shortly after al-Zarqawi's
death. The airstrike also killed five others, including al-Zarqawi's spiritual
adviser, Sheik Abdul-Rahman.
"I think if we don't do a full autopsy then that might irresponsible on our
part," Caldwell said. "I think we sort of owe that just for this reason: How did
he actually die?"
He said the U.S. government thought it was important enough "that we grabbed
two people in the last 48 hours and told them pack up and move to Iraq."
Asked about the claim that U.S. soldiers may have beaten al-Zarqawi after the
attack, Caldwell said he would check. In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Jeffrey
Gordon said Saturday he was unaware of the claim.
"We frequently receive allegations which prove to be unsubstantiated," Gordon
said.
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