We can only hope this is the "beginning of the end"

thanks for the info and sharing the excitement. please stay safe and continue to bring us the whole story--the good and the bad. God Bless You

The demise of Zarqawi may have more of a positive impact then we could hope for if the reaction of the Iraqi journalists are as positive and enthusiastic as described. We shall see. The political games they are playing are no different from those our guys are so fond of. Hopefully, the positive steps they have managed in this area will have even greater positive effect.

Richard,

Thanks again for your coverage from Baghdad. It's so refreshing to get the news first hand from someone "on the ground" rather than some "talking head" sitting in a comfortable studio back here in the States. And speaking of "Talking Heads", maybe now Keith Olbermann will have something positive to say to the American people about our efforts in Iraq...Wait a minute, Keith Olbermann is not capable of making a positive comment about our efforts in Iraq!! Congratulations and best of luck to our troops, and to all the people of Iraq who (unlike Keith Olbermann) know that tyranny is not easily broken and that freedom is often times not free.

Thanks for putting yourself in harms way to bring us covereage of this awful war. This is the best news I've heard in months!!! Bin Laden, your time on earth grows shorter and shorter......al-Zarqawi's death should show you....you can't hide forever.

Richard, I enjoy your reports as they are without bias of any kind, just the facts. Thanks you and stay safe. look forward to your next report.

This is brillant. Reduced to a steamy pile of feces. I can't wait for more good news. Three chears for our military.

It will cripple them for a time, but they will not stop. Resistances, never seem to stop. No matter how many you kill, there will always be one to take their place and refill the ranks. History bears this out as fact. The Nazi's tried exterminating the Maquis...killed over 45,000 civilians. This didn't stop the french underground. What makes any of us believe truly that killing this guy (and I agree, he really needed to be killed) will stop anything?

Thanks so much for sharing that. I've needed some encouragement that what we (the US) were doing was...what's the word?...I don't know. I suppose I just needed an indicator that our troops, as well as others, aren't dying in vain.

Richard,

Thanks for you great reporting from Baghdad. As a soldier who served in Iraq from 2003-2004, your story gave me the chills, I can feel the excitement from that room. As we all know, the road ahead is long and difficult, but this news keeps the glimer of hope alive for all of us who put so much in to the Iraqi reconstruction effort, and the families and friends of those who gave the ultimate sacrafice.

Now begins the hunt for the rest of the terrorist networks. It's not over yet, but it is great to hear that there is some relief in the Green Zone instead of tensions and despair.

Great to hear that the positive reaction from the Iraqi's is NOT muted, and is NOT sad, but is CLEARLY rejoicing!
The news that several citizens broke out in "USA, USA" chants clearly indicates that the MSM are NOT giving the American people the clear picture of what is transpiring in Iraq.
Thank you, Mr. Engel, for helping to give us at home a clearer picture of what is taking place.

Oh please, they've gotten al.. whatever his name is. This is not going to stop the violence. As a matter of fact, it might increase the violence. This is just another event for Bush and his cronies to wallow like pigs in mud. This same scenario happened when Saddam was caught, and the violence increased and people like al.. whatever his name is, sprung up from their holes. What do you think would have happened if Sadaam was actually killed.

Kudos to you Richard for a good reporting. Stay safe man!

Whether people support the war or not, this is good news.

I certainly celebrate the killing of this mad man, but I believe the violence will only be exacerbated by this.Apparently Sunni's outed him.. Will this be another reason for Siites to kill Sunni's? Lets hope not. Once again, if this is a "turning point" in this war, why more violence today? More bombings, more death.. The point is this, zaqwari's influence has been going on for years and his ideaology has spread to many of the tribal leaders. This does not bode well for the reduction of violence in Iraq..the cat is out of the bag and the task of stopping the violence and thus getting our troops home will be a difficult one. Good luck to all.

WE kno we're in a 100 yr war, but this killing of the terrorists in great news. I was caught in the Arab Israeli War of 1967 and we were attacked by the PLO when we were stationed in Tripoli, Libya. I knew then, a 911 would come, one thing these people have is patience. One thing the American people don't have.

Dear Richard,

Thank you for letting us know what is "really" going on over there and risking your life to give information to us here at home. I couldn't be more happier to hear that this "animal of hell" is finally put to rest where he belongs. To see the terror he brought upon everybody over there is unimaginable, so it's good to hear that he's gone.

Thank you to all the troops and God bless every one of you.

MY BROTHER JUST GOT TO THE GREEN ZONE LAST WEEK CAMP VICTORY..JAMES OZECHOSKI THIS IS VERY GOOD NEWS PLS CONTINUE TO REPORT..WE WILL GET ALL OF YOU...9/11 NOT FORGOTTEN..

Eleminating a few terroists will nt ever solve the problem.The root of the problem is the fanaticism of those preaching a pure and a great religion of Islam,in utter contradiction of the Faith as envisaged by T he Great Prophet.The present fanatical preachers must understand this.The problem will end forthwith.

This is my first time reading your blog. How exciting! I feel like I am in the room, hearing the cheers and feeling that hug. This is a brilliant way to deliver the news. Thank you from a grateful American.

Finally some good news: one of these monsters is eliminated. However is it just me or do other people see what I see. After all the horrific pictures I have seen of people being blown to bits by IEDs ot horribly maimed, and these are relatively small devices, why is it that this man looks (given he was "cleaned up" to show him) like he just died from a heartattack after the meeting place was just hit by two 500 pound bombs?

While I'm very happy this sicko is finally gone, I worry that we'll continue ignoring the impact of Syria and Iran on the insurgency, instead, going after headlines with more individual captures/killings. The problem is way bigger than Zarqawi and Bin Laden.

Next is to get Osama Bin Laden, I think with that, things will turn a definate corner and no one can deny that terrorism CAN be defeated...

THANK YOU TO ALL THE MEN AND WOMAN IN THE MILITARY. ALTHOUGH IM NOT SURE HOW MUCH THIS WILL SLOW THESE NUTS DOWN IT WILL AT LEAST HELP IN THE SHORT RUN. I PRAY FOR YOU AS WELL AS HOPING AND PRAYING THAT IRAQ WILL GET CONTROL OF THERE OWN COUNTRY SO THAT WE CAN BRING YOU ALL HOME SAFE. THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS

This is the tactical equivalent of the Germans eliminating Genaral Patton during WW2. This is huge and lets the terrorists know if you run you will only die tired.