Death of al-Zarqawi is a big progress in war on terror, officials say

Death of al-Zarqawi is a big progress in war on terror, officials say

Al-Zarqawi, who led a bloody campaign of suicide bombings and kidnappings in Iraq, was killed Wednesday in an airstrike north of Baghdad, the AP reports.

Al-Zarqawi is believed to have come to Afghanistan in 1999, where he formed links with Osama bin Laden. He fled during the U.S.-led war that ousted the Taliban in late 2001, passing through Iran to Iraq.

Nearly five years after al-Zarqawi fled, Afghanistan is still fighting its own war against al-Qaida and its Taliban allies. Afghanistan has faced a massive increase in violence in recent months, especially from suicide bombings - a new tactic in the country.