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01/19/2005:

"Zarqawi Says He Conducted Embassy Blast"

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- The al-Qaida in Iraq terror group claimed that it carried out a truck bombing at the Australian Embassy in Baghdad that killed two people Wednesday, according to a statement posted on an Islamic Web site.

The embassy blast was the first in a series of car bombings to hit Bagndad and surrounding area within 90 minutes of one another.

Iraqi authorities said nine people were killed in the blasts. The U.S. military put the death toll at 26, based on initial reports from American soldiers who responded to the attacks. The discrepancy in the count could not immediately be resolved.

Al-Qaida in Iraq is led by Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a militant who has allied himself with Osama bin-Laden's terror network and is among the Americans' most wanted.
Full Article: nytimes.com

A few weeks ago the Iraqis said they arrested Zarqawi, the U.S. denied it, and that was the last word about it. 'Al Qaida in Iraq': did Zarqawi buy a franchise?