Following are quotes attributed to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaeda's leader in Iraq, whose death was announced today. Most are from statements and tapes distributed via the Internet.
September 2004 -"The mujahideen will give America a taste of the degradation you have inflicted on the Iraqi people" - statement accompanying a video of the beheading of US hostage Eugene Armstrong.
January 20th, 2005 -"The fruits of jihad come after much patience and a lengthy stay in the battlefield...which could last months and years."
January 23th, 2005 - A week before Iraq's parliamentary election -"We have declared a bitter war against the principle of democracy and all those who seek to enact it."
April 29th, 2005 -"We promise God that the dog...Bush will not enjoy peace of mind and that his army will not have a good life as long as our hearts are beating."
May 18th, 2005 -"The killing of infidels by any method including martyrdom (suicide) operations has been sanctified by many scholars even if it means killing innocent Muslims...The shedding of Muslim blood...is allowed in order to avoid the greater evil of disrupting jihad."
July 5th, 2005 -"We declare that the Iraqi army is an apostate, agent army allied to the crusaders and came to destroy Islam and Muslims. We will fight it."
September 11th, 2005 -Referring to Hurricane Katrina: "The storm that hit the United States was the result of every mother or father's prayer, or an orphaned son, or a woman whose honour was taken away in Iraq or Afghanistan."
September 14th, 2005 -"Al-Qaeda organisation in Iraq...has declared war against Shias in all of Iraq."
April 25th, 2006 -"America has realised today that its tanks, armies and Shia agents will not be able to end the battle with the mujahideen."