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Your e-mails: After al-Zarqawi
![]() The U.S. military displayed a photo Thursday of what it said is al-Zarqawi after he was killed. YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS(CNN) -- President Bush hailed the death of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as a "severe blow to al Qaeda," and an opportunity for Iraq to "turn the tide" against the insurgency that has plagued the country since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime. CNN.com asked readers to send their thoughts on how al-Zarqawi's death will affect the war in Iraq. Here is a selection of those responses, sent in by e-mail: It's still the first quarter of the game and OK....it was maybe a three-pointer shot...the war will still continue and someone will try to step up and take his place. He was only a player in a very complex game. If nothing else...it gives Bush something to smile/smirk about in front of the cameras. So will the polls show that he has gained a few points?... Hmm, I wonder. The death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi will have no impact on the war in Iraq nor the war on terror. President Bush can call it another "mission accomplished" deed, but it isn't over until all the troops come home, and believe me, that is not going to happen soon. Bush started the war and it will continue for some time after he leaves office. Someone else will have to clean up his mess. All this death for oil. What a shame. His death is a morale booster and, yes, somebody will replace him, but the best news to come of this was that the info provided to finally get him came from the Iraqi people and from inside his group. This is a sign that maybe the people are sick of his kind. People seem to be looking at this event with no thought to what made it possible, which is a mistake. Al-Zarqawi was ratted out by somebody who was close enough to him, at least, to know where he'd be at a given time. Somebody who apparently lost faith in his cause, in other words. As with other developments in this war over the past few months (terrorist bombings of Mosques, bin Laden's offer of a truce with America should we withdraw from Iraq immediately), the willingness to sell out al-Zarqawi smacks of desperation. No, the insurgency in Iraq is not finished yet, but there are signs that the terrorists may be losing hope with this particular cause. I wish -- as much as Mr. Bush and Mr. Rumsfeld do -- that al-Zarqawi's death would bring an end to the war in Iraq. However, the killing of yet another man (no matter how evil) will not end the war nor the terror. Only a change in long-term policy can win the war on terror. The death of a terrorist leader like al-Zarqawi is a big blow to groups as disorganized as most terrorist cells. However, al Qaeda is a well-funded group of determined individuals. The only way to get this to stop is to hit the roots of the tree. Iraq's cell may be down and out but let us not forget the fact there are many more cells of this one organization operating worldwide. We have simply cut off only one head of the beast. We should cut its feet so it can't move, or run. Words can't begin to express how much this animal's death means to me as a member of the armed forces! Wasn't it about two weeks ago he put out that last "frightening" tape? Hahahah! Maybe he can make some more threats while rotting in hell! George Bush has lit such a tremendous fire in West Asia that it will take a decade or more to burn itself out. The death of al-Zarqawi may tone down the sectarian strife, unless his successor is of similar mind. This one death will not stop the dozens of daily deaths. Already on Thursday, more than 59 have been killed in Baghdad. The only thing that could possibly stop the carnage is the departure of Bush from the White House. So we've killed another Muslim. Hurray! I just hope this is the last, but I don't think so. Do I feel safer for this? NO. Killing just gets more killing. I have no sympathy for al-Zarqawi, just as he had no sympathy for killing Iraqis and Americans. It's too bad our government feels that killing every Muslim terrorist is the answer to this problem. Killing Saddam [Hussein's] kids didn't solve anything. Arresting Hussein solved nothing either. Why should I feel al-Zarqawi's death is so meaningful? I have a question. Mr. Bush can we bring our troops home now? The violence will likely continue, even escalate over the short term, as he has now been made a martyr. Over the long term, hopefully the insurgency will become more disorganized and less effective. Time will tell the type of leader al-Zarqawi was by how the insurgency continues. Al-Zarqawi's death is good news for the morale of America, but one man's death is just that. How much better did things get after [Saddam] Hussein's capture? If it is such a major achievement, I guess we can start bringing our troops home now. I don't think that al-Zarqawi's death will have much of an impact. President Bush will revel in what he considers a great accomplishment and use this as a means to try to bolster his declining image. I believe that someone will step up to replace al-Zarqawi and this will continue on if this replacement falls. My biggest fear is that the insurgency will escalate and there will be retribution killings for the death of al-Zarqawi. I hope this sends a message to bin Laden -- no matter where you're hiding or who is giving you shelter, the long arm of the U.S.A. will catch up to you. Although I am temporarily uplifted by the death of this terrorist, I am afraid there are a thousand more waiting in the wings to achieve martyrdom. I don't believe this is a war on terror, but a war on ideology. Our military simply cannot "win" this war. I wonder sometimes if George Bush read his history, especially that of the Vietnam War. I can only shake my head in disappointment that our nation has allowed another unconventional war to happen, and that another generation is coming home dead, maimed, or emotionally scarred. This might seem like a victory, but I await the news of the name of al-Zarqawi's successor. By broadcasting pictures of his corpse, we are sinking to the level of those who dragged and beat U.S. contractors in April 2004. Such images strengthen resolve to fight the other side. Like most, I don't have the answers for Iraq, but this is clearly not going to slow down the violence. What do you think? E-mail us.
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