Zarqawi Dead

By now, everyone is hearing the reports that the United States killed the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi. This is, of course, great news for the people of Iraq and the US, but it also re-inforces the progress we are making in this war.

People seem to forget that a war like this- of fighting terrorists, and trying to establish democracy- will take some time, and will not be measured in gains of land, or peace treaties, and the like.

We have to look back and see what has happened:

+Afghanistan and Iraq are both fledgling democracies.
+Much of the senior leadership of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Iraq has been killed or captured, including Zarqawi.
+Saddam Hussein is on trial for crimes against humanity.
+Thousands of lower level Al Qaeda terrorists have been captured and interrogated, leading to countless thwarted attacks on the US and our allies. The thwarted terror attack on Canada in the last week is an example.

I also am reminded by his death of the way in which so many people have begun to believe that somehow the war in Iraq is a distraction from the War on Terror. Yet today they annouce that the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq has been killed. Who are we fighting over there, if not Al Qaeda and the terrorists who declared war on us?

While I don't think this means the insurgency will shrivel up and die, this does serve as a reminder that we are winning, bit by bit, and today we got a really big bit!