Zarqawi Update: How dead is he?

Sources for Fox News in the U.S. government say it is not likely that Zarqawi died in the raid on a Mosul home where eight suspected Al Qaida members perished.

On Saturday, police Brig. Gen. Said Ahmed al-Jubouri said the raid was launched after a tip that top al-Qaida operatives, possibly including al-Zarqawi, were in the house in the northeastern part of the city.

During the intense gunbattle that followed, three insurgents detonated explosives and killed themselves to avoid capture, Iraqi officials said. Eleven Americans were wounded, the U.S. military said. Such intense resistance often suggests an attempt to defend a high-value target.

But Trent Duffy, a White House spokesman, said reports of al-Zarqawi's death were "highly unlikely and not credible."

Perhaps, but this administration likes to downplay success reports until things are verified, so it is likely that Duffy is really saying "we don't know."

Zarqawi's capture or demise would be a big feather in Uncle Sam's cap, since the Z's rap sheet is quite lengthy.

Would you like to know more?