Associated Press
Tuesday, April 11, 2006; A16
BAGHDAD, April 10 -- More than 90 percent of the suicide attacks in Iraq are carried out by fighters recruited, trained and equipped by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, a U.S. military spokesman said Monday.
Zarqawi and al-Qaeda in Iraq "are real threats to the citizens, security and stability of Iraq. And we continue to conduct aggressive operations to eliminate the threat they pose not only to Iraq, but also to the rest of the region," Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch said in a statement.
The Washington Post reported Monday that U.S. military was conducting a propaganda campaign to "magnify the role" of Zarqawi and that some U.S. military intelligence officials believe the campaign has overstated Zarqawi's importance.
Lynch's statement did not cite the Post story but said "a recent article" had called into question the threat posed by Zarqawi. "Nothing could be further from the truth," he said.