Terrorist Morale In Trouble?

(AP)  The U.S. military released on Tuesday a letter it believes was addressed to terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi from an underling complaining that incompetence of leaders in his al Qaeda in Iraq network is hurting morale among his fighters.

The letter's authenticity could not be independently confirmed, but it was the latest in a series of claims by U.S.-led forces of progress in the fight against Iraq's bloody insurgency, including defeating militants in skirmishes, raiding their hidden arms caches and getting tips about them from Iraqi informants.

But the claims come at a time when insurgents have dramatically stepped up attacks, including large suicide bombings, killing nearly 170 people in six days.

Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on April 26 that Iraq's insurgency remains undiminished in its capabilities, despite U.S.-led efforts to crush the militants. "I think their capacity stays about the same. And where they are right now is where they were almost a year ago," he said at a Pentagon news conference.

Al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian-born militant who has declared his allegiance to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, is the most wanted man in Iraq. He is tied to many bombings, kidnappings and beheadings of hostages since the U.S.-led invasion removed Saddam Hussein from power two years ago.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the letter is believed to be authentic and "gives the indication that his [al-Zarqawi's] influence and effectiveness are deteriorating."

"It describes low morale and weak and incompetent leadership," Whitman said, though he added that al-Zarqawi's organization can continue to carry out significant attacks.

The letter, dated April 27, was signed by Abu Asim al-Qusaymi al-Yemeni, who Whitman said was an al Qaeda member and veteran of fighting last year in the former insurgent stronghold of Fallujah. It was seized during an April 28 raid in Baghdad, which also yielded an undated document listing targeting information and sketch maps for kidnappings and bombings, the U.S. military said.

A copy of the letter distributed by the military, in the original handwriting in Arabic, is addressed to "Sheik Abu Ahmed" and is full of scratched out words and is illegible in parts.

Al-Zarqawi has never been known to use that name, said terror experts in the United States, Egypt and Jordan — al-Zarqawi's home country. In the numerous postings about him on Islamic militant Web forums, the name Abu Ahmed is never used, though he is sometimes referred to as "the sheik" or even "the butchering sheik."

It was unclear whether the writer made a mistake in the name or was addressing someone else. Whitman said Abu Ahmed is al-Zarqawi, and the letter seems to address the top figure in the organization.

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