Al-Zarqawi: Alive? Dead? Wounded? (moved from ATSNN)

www.cnn.com
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Conflicting reports emerged Thursday from Iraqi officials about whether they knew insurgent leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had been wounded.

"We are not quite sure if he is alive or dead," said Interior Minister Baqir Jabbur, citing information on al-Zarqawi's injuries the government received several days ago.

But Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari later said the government didn't have anything accurate on al-Zarqawi's status.

Al-Zarqawi, the most-wanted man in Iraq, is blamed for bombings and kidnappings throughout the country. The United States is offering a $25 million reward for information leading to his capture.

CNN's Jane Arraf asked Jabbur after a Baghdad news conference whether he believed al-Zarqawi had been wounded. "He said, 'Yes, it is true he has been wounded,' " Arraf said.

Several Islamist Web sites reported this week that al-Zarqawi had been wounded, asking supporters to offer prayers for the militant.

In an analysis of one posting, Octavia Nasr, CNN's senior editor for Arab affairs, said the author "doesn't go into the seriousness of the injuries."



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