Now to make use of no al-Zarqawi

The death of the most prominent insurgent in Iraq will definitely have a demoralising effect on the worldwide Islamic terrorism movement.

The death of the most prominent insurgent in Iraq, the Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, will definitely have a demoralising effect on the worldwide Islamic terrorism movement. Zarqawi was reportedly killed on Thursday in a US air strike at Baquba, north of Baghdad. From all accounts, he was a tremendously divisive figure who, for four years, turbocharged the insurgency in Iraq with suicide bombs, kidnappings, assassinations and statements directed as much at Iraqi Shias as against the US-led military occupation. Of course, it’s too soon to say whether he died in the air strike or was killed earlier by rebel Iraqi resistance fighters who threw away the body that was recovered by US and Iraqi forces.

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There were indications since last year that both the al-Qaeda leadership in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and the Iraqi resistance fighters were unhappy over the virulently anti-Shia direction given by Zarqawi to the insurgency. Besides, he expanded the Iraqi ‘jehad’ to foreign territories, making it a pan-Islamic struggle rather than one meant to liberate Iraq from occupation. His international terrorist organisation, al-Tawhid wa’l-Jihad, was active in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, and it’s possible that it has footprints in Northern Africa and Europe as well. Zarqawi’s exit may now straitjacket al-Qaeda activities in Iraq, even if temporarily. But it’s unlikely to spell the end of the insurgency itself as the coalition and the emerging Iraqi security forces still seem to be unable to control sporadic violence. Which is apparently the reason why the Shia militias are stepping up their attacks on Sunni targets. The good news is that the political process in Baghdad appears to be gathering steam. Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki’s cabinet — despite being controversial for its pro-Shia tilt — could finally give Iraq a functioning government. Mr Maliki’s determination to face up to the odds is a positive sign, the nascent nature of the new Iraqi polity notwithstanding. He has obviously taken on an unenviable job and will have to do a high-wire act, settling pressing issues before the administration on one hand, and tackling the insurgency on the other.

Unfortunately these two tasks are not exclusive. It’s a tricky situation since radical Shias, too, are likely to continue to oppose the new government violently if they are denied the influence they seek. The Iraqi government should play on these divisions among the extremists and try to steer some of them away from violence and towards the political mainstream, while marginalising or dividing the rest. Zarqawi’s death makes this possible and opens an unexpected window of opportunity for the government to win over the alienated population.