Zarqawi Widow Claims Allies Sold Him Out.

The Italian newspaper La Reppublica on July 2 published an interview with Zarqawi's widow, identified as "Umm Muhammad", in which she said her husband was "sold to the Americans" because he had become too powerful. She claimed her husband was "the victim of a secret pact between Iraqi insurgents, the leaders of al-Qaeda and the American secret services to eliminate him. In return, the Americans agreed to slow down their search for bin Laden. Al-Qaeda is currently trying to protect its charismatic chief". Umm Muhammad, whom the paper described as a Jordanian woman aged about 40, said the agreement had been reached with the Sunni tribes charged with protecting her husband, with Jordan's secret services acting as intermediaries. She argued: "Otherwise, they would never have been able to kill him in such a way, unless the Ba'quba attack was just luck".

According to La Reppublica, Umm Muhammad lives in hiding in Europe. The paper said the interview was conducted in Geneva. In his June 30 video release, bin Laden said Jordan's King Abdullah should allow Zarqawi to be buried in his home town, Zarqa.