Jordanian gov't denies helping kill Zarqawi

Jordanian government on Thursday denied media reports that Jordan had helped in a joint U.S. and Iraqi operation that killed al-Qaida leader in Iraq Abu Musab al- Zarqawi.

The Jordanian government announced that Jordan had no relevance with the killing of Zarqawi, Jordan's state television reported.

Earlier, reports said that Jordanian sources inside Iraq provided the U.S. military with information which helped in tracking down and killing Zarqawi.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced at a Baghdad news conference earlier in the day that Zarqawi, the most wanted insurgent in Iraq, had been killed.

He said that Zarqawi and seven of his top aides were killed in the U.S. and Iraqi operation on an area near Baquba, some 65 km northeast of Baghdad, on Wednesday evening.

Zarqawi, with a 25 million U.S. dollars bounty on his head, was accused of being behind some of the most gruesome kidnappings and killings including beheadings in Iraq.

His group has also claimed responsibility for several terror attacks against Jordan, including the triple hotel bombing attacks on Nov. 9, 2005 in Amman which killed at least 60 people including three Iraqi suicide bombers.

The Jordanian-born Zarqawi was sentenced to death in absentia by a Jordanian military court three times.

Source: Xinhua