What's really happening in country – #5

US jets target Zarqawi hideout
August 28, 2005

US jets launched multiple air strikes yesterday against a “terrorist safe house” in Iraq’s western Al Anbar province, destroying the building where up to 50 al-Qaeda militants were believed to be hiding.

A statement said the coalition ground forces were alerted by local residents that a number of terrorists had gathered in an abandoned building north-east of the Husaybah, located on the Syrian border about 320km west of Baghdad.

There were reports that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq and the second most-wanted terrorist on the US list after al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, was in the area.

“Iraqi citizens reported that approximately 50 terrorists were in the building at the time of the air strike,” the statement said.

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