Z-Man Lived for an Hour

Al Qaeda leader in Iraq Abu Musab al Zarqawi lived for almost an hour after the first U.S. bomb struck his "safehouse".

From AP :
Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Baghdad, said U.S. forces arrived about 28 minutes after a fighter jet bombed al-Zarqawi's hideout outside Baqouba on Wednesday. Medics secured al-Zarqawi's airway but his breathing was shallow and labored, and he expelled blood from his mouth.

"It was very evident he had extremely massive internal injuries," Caldwell said.

Al-Zarqawi died 24 minutes after coalition forces arrived, he said.

Jones said the autopsy conducted Saturday showed that al-Zarqawi died from injuries to his lungs.

"Blast waves from the two bombs caused tearing, bruising of the lungs and bleeding," he said. "There was no evidence of firearm injuries."

The al-Qaida in Iraq leader also suffered head and facial wounds, bleeding in his ears and a fracture of his lower right leg.

Caldwell said an F-16 dropped a 500-pound bomb on the house at 6:12 p.m. A second bomb followed immediately after.

U.S. troops arrived at 6:40 p.m. and found Iraqi police at the site. He said a coalition medic treated al-Zarqawi, who lapsed in and out of consciousness.

"At 7:04 p.m. on 7 June, Zarqawi was dead," Caldwell said.

From the New York Times:

BAGHDAD, Iraq, June 12 — An autopsy conducted on the body of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has revealed that he died of blast injuries from the bombs, with the damage to his lungs so severe that he could not survive them, according to medical examiners and American military officials. There was no evidence of beating or injuries from firearms, they said.

In a news briefing intended to counter what military officials described as "propaganda and misinformation," the officials also emphasized that medics tried to give Mr. Zarqawi treatment when they first arrived on the scene, but that his lungs were full of blood.

The MSM just can't find a way to "spin" this story, (yet). Stay tuned.