The US military said on Monday that al-Qaida's leader in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi died of his lung injuries nearly an hour after a US airstrike, while al-Qaida named his successor.

US military spokesman Major General William Caldwell told a press conference in Baghdad that the US force arrived at the scene 28 minutes after US F-16 fighter jets dropped two 500-pound bombs on al-Zarqawi's hideout last Wednesday and tried to treat him as he was breathing with difficulty.

He said that US troops arrived at 6:40 PM (14:40 GMT) after an F-16 dropped the first bomb at 6:12 PM (14:12 GMT) and al-Zarqawi died at 7:04 PM (15:04 GMT), which means he stayed alive for 52 minutes after being raided.

Caldwell also said that DNA analysis conducted by experts from outside Iraq had confirmed the identity of the slain al-Zarqawi.

Meanwhile, command surgeon of Multinational Forces Colonel Steve Jones said that al-Zarqawi died of extensive lung injuries.

"The blast waves of the two bombs caused tearing, bruising of the lungs and bleeding," he said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced last Thursday that the most wanted insurgent in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed along with seven followers in the air raid near Baquba, 60 km north of Baghdad.

Also on Monday, the al-Qaida in Iraq appointed Abu Hamza al-Muhajira as the successor of al-Zarqawi.
 
"The Shura Council of al-Qaida in Iraq unanimously agreed to appoint Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Muhajir as the successor of Sheikh AbuMusab al-Zarqawi," said a statement posted on a website usually used by Islamic militants.

It was reported that Egyptian-born bomb expert Abu-Musri or an Iraqi named Abdullah Rashid al-Baghdadi would probably replace al-Zarqawi whereas al-Muhajir has been little known before.

In the same day, seven militants linked to al-Qaida in Iraq were killed in a US airstrike near Baquba, a US military statement said.

"Coalition forces killed seven terrorists, wounded three, and detained an additional two terrorists during a raid in the vicinity of Baquba June 12," said the statement.

It also confessed that two children were killed and one child wounded in the air raid.

Violence raged on Monday again, ending a short tranquility after al-Qaida in Iraq vowed to launch more attacks in response to the killing of its leader.

On Monday morning, six employees of the Iraqi Oil Ministry were killed and 12 others wounded when their bus was destroyed by a roadside bomb in southern Baghdad.

On Monday night, at least ten were killed and 56 injured in two car bombings in Baghdad.

In Baquba, seven Iraqis were killed, including three soldiers, and seven others wounded in two attacks.

In the town of Balad, 80 km north of Baghdad, two car bombs killed six and wounded 30 others.

(Xinhua News Agency June 13, 2006)