US: President George W Bush has hailed the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as a severe blow to al-Qaeda and an opportunity for Iraq's new government to "turn the tide" in its fight against insurgents.
Mr Bush warned, however, that Zarqawi's death did not mean that US forces could withdraw from Iraq, as many of his critics are demanding.
"Zarqawi is dead, but the difficult and necessary mission in Iraq continues. We can expect the terrorists and insurgents to carry on without him. We can expect the sectarian violence to continue. Yet the ideology of terror has lost one of its most visible and aggressive leaders," he said.
The killing of Zarqawi comes as popular support in the US for Mr Bush's handling of the war in Iraq is at its lowest level ever.
News from Iraq has been dominated in recent days by allegations that US marines massacred two dozen unarmed men, women and children in Haditha and attempted a cover-up.
Mr Bush praised the "courage and professionalism" of the US forces who killed Zarqawi and seven others in an air attack near Baghdad.
"Now Zarqawi has met his end, and this violent man will never murder again. Iraqis can be justly proud of their new government and its early steps to improve their security.
"And Americans can be enormously proud of the men and women of our armed forces, who worked tirelessly with their Iraqi counterparts to track down this brutal terrorist and put him out of business," Mr Bush said.
The brother of Ken Bigley, who was taken hostage and beheaded by forces under Zarqawi's command in 2004, said yesterday he was glad the "monster" was dead but he would rather have seen him rot in jail.
Stan Bigley said: "I'm glad he's off the face of the earth, not just for my brother but for all the people he has killed. Ken was just one of a multitude of innocent people killed by that man."
"Personally, I would rather have seen him captured and made to stand in the dock and face justice for what he's done."
Another brother, Paul, told Channel Four television: "The man was an animal and he deserved what he got. And may he rot in hell. He's gone. The world has rid themselves of a very bad person. So he thinks he's going to paradise? I'm convinced the man is in hell," Mr Bigley said.Additional reporting: PA/Reuters