Tracking Al Zarqawi - Ramadi is Zarqawi's Rattrap

American troops closed off the two main bridges in the city of Ramadi, to the west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, on Wednesday. Eyewitnesses told the Kuwaiti news agency Kuna that the soldiers appear to have launched a major operation there in their fight to root out insurgents, consisting of a series of raids in the centre of the city.

Even the hospital has been searched, as well as residential areas, where it is thought Islamic extremists may be hiding. It comes a day after the al-Qaeda group in Iraq - led by the Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi - announced that a violent gun battle had broken out between police and militants who were trying to stop the raids.

It also emerged this week that US troops almost caught al-Zarqawi as he drove to Ramadi for a meeting in February. The Americans were tipped off about the meeting and roadblocks were set up throughout the area. But when one vehicle was stopped as it tried to enter the city, a truck further back, turned around and immediately drove off. After giving chase, the truck was stopped and searched, but though al-Zarqawi's computer was found, the man himself was said to have jumped out and fled to a safe house in the city. His driver and bodyguard were arrested.

The Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is reported to have been seen on Wednesday at the hospital in Ramadi, which was later searched by US forces. The director of the hospital, Munam Aftan, told the Iraq-based newspaper Al-Zaman that US troops surrounded and raided the entire hospital, searching for al-Zarqawi, who is believed to be al-Qaeda's leader in Iraq.

"They told me they had to search the entire hospital - Aftan explained - because they had received information saying that al-Zarqawi was here, accompanied by four Opel cars, inside of which were his bodyguards and followers."

On Wednesday the Kuwaiti news agency Kuna cited local sources as saying that American soldiers had closed off the two main bridges in Ramadi, to the west of the capital Baghdad, and were carrying out major raids on both the hospital and residential neighbourhoods in the centre of the city. Two days ago al-Zarqawi's group announced that there were ongoing violent clashes in Ramadi, between US troops and militants trying to stop the raids.

It also emerged this week that US forces almost caught al-Zarqawi as he tried to enter Ramadi in February. He escaped, but they did seize his computer, which contained information which is reported to have led to a number of subsequent arrests.

While we have cornered the rat Zarqawi, we should be careful than he does not burrow a tunnel to escape through an underground route, as do the Palestinians in Gaza and as did Ayman Al Zawahiri, when he was beseiged in Waziristan by the Pakistani army. Of course, the Pakis troops were hand in glove with Zawahiri - the No 2 Al Qaeda man. That made the escape easy while appearing to seem natural, and gave the Pakis with an excuse to show us that how the Al Qaeda roughneck had "outwitted" them. This time Zarqawi it is different, as the rat is besiged by our boys, but we need to be cureful, thay he does not burrow his was to safety from his rattrap in Ramadi.

Story Credits: ADNKI