WASHINGTON, June 9 (UPI) -- U.S. military officers in Iraq and some recently returned are optimistic the death of terrorist Abu Musab al Zarqawi will improve security in Iraq.
"I think this is huge. Sure, someone may eventually take his place, but with nowhere near the stature or prestige of Zarqawi, and I have faith that we'll pick up on his successor faster," said a battalion commander whose area of operations has seen several large attacks for which Zarqawi is believed responsible.
"I've come to believe that there's only a relative handful of big-league bad guys out there who are capable of directing things and bringing in the money. Most of the other guys are small-time criminals for whom setting in an IED gets them paid and is as good a job as kidnapping, so taking out the (anti-Iraqi forces) leadership will really affect their operations."
The Army officer expects the biggest change to occur in Shiite areas in Diyala province and Baghdad where Zarqawi was most active.
A second commander who served a year in Baqubah, where Zarqawi was killed, saiid his death was a "strong step forward in the fight for Iraq."
"He is the guy who has really pushed the use of large attacks that kill many people, mostly innocent people, in order to inspire other insurgents and to show the weakness of the new Iraqi government and security forces," the officer said. "Today another large group of Iraqi citizens who've been sitting on the fence waiting to see who will win the struggle for control of the country will move to the side the government and democracy.
"I think it will be very difficult for them to replace him effectively. He was one of those few people who is smart and can be a leader who motivates others to act," he said.
Lt. Gen. William Wallace, the chief of the Army's Training and Doctrine Command, said Thursday he is glad Zarqawi is dead, but said not to expect great changes.
"It would overreaching to say this is going to have a dramatic effect on terrorism as we see it resident in Iraq," Wallace said.
