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05/24/2005:

"Web Posting: Iraq al Qaeda Leader Injured"

CAIRO, Egypt -- Al Qaeda's branch in Iraq, blamed for numerous terror attacks on U.S. and Iraqi targets, said Tuesday in an Internet posting that its leader, Abu Musab Zarqawi, had been wounded and called on supporters to pray for his recovery.

The posting's authenticity could not be verified, but it was posted on a Web site known for carrying prior statements by al Qaeda in Iraq and other militant groups.

Asked about the reports Zarqawi had been wounded, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said, "I don't know."

The statement, which purportedly was from the group's media coordinator, Abu Maysarah al-Iraqi, did not say how or when Zarqawi was injured. Al-Iraqi is known to be the group's media coordinator, but there was no way to confirm if the statement was true or that it was posted by al Qaeda in Iraq.

Zarqawi, a Jordanian, has claimed responsibility for attacks on Iraqi civilians and security forces, kidnappings and beheadings of foreigners, and has a $25 million bounty on his head _ the same as for al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

"Let the near and far know that the injury of our leader is an honor, and a cause to close in on the enemies of God, and a reason to increase the attacks against them," the statement said.

It ended with prayers for Zarqawi, calling on the nation of Islam to "pray for our Sheik Abu Musab Zarqawi to recover from an injury he suffered for God's sake."

Media reports earlier this month said the U.S. military was investigating whether Zarqawi was being treated at a Ramadi, Iraq, hospital. These reports were never confirmed.
Full: washingtonpost.com

He can't afford to lose any more limbs...