Ned Parker, Times correspondent in Baghdad, says that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's death may have been betrayed by other insurgents as part of political manoeuvring:

"Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was absolutely hated by most normal Iraqis on both sides of the sectarian divide. He was seen as having been behind the whole trend of car bombs that have killed civilians across the country, Shia and Sunni, since late 2003. People saw him as having introduced a new form of brutality to Iraq.

"So Al-Zarqawi was a figurehead, an icon, a totemic figure. He came to Iraq from his native Jordan at the right time, at around the time of the US-led invasion. He was subsequently built up by the US-led campaign that singled him out as a major cause of the violence.

"Like any form of fame, Zarqawi's brand of notoriety was something of an accident - in this case his sinister talent, a bit of luck and his sense of timing. There could easily be another Zarqawi, but it depends on whether someone with the same zeal and ruthlessness can step forward as the movement's face.

"One of the most interesting things about the news of his death is the timing. There have been talks going on since the election last December by US and Iraqi officials to try to bring the homegrown insurgency back into the political process. Certainly there was tension between the homegrown Iraqi insurgency and Zarqawi's foreign fighters.

"So it's possible a deal was finally cut by some branch of the Iraqi insurgency to eliminate al-Zarqawi and rid themselves of his heavy-handed influence.

"Al-Zarqawi was killed in a little village near Baquba called Hibhib, which I visited in late 2003. It's a small place, very beautiful and surrounded by date groves. It's also famous for its homemade alcohol, arak, although I doubt they served it when al-Zarqawi was around.

"But although his death is a significant development, it would be easy to get carried away by it. The insurgency has always been an Iraqi affair and Zarqawi represented only its foreign jihadist current. He attracted those Arab nationals and other Islamic radicals who wanted to resurrect the caliphate across the Middle East, which is very different from what most Iraqis want.

"Nor was he ever the reason why there was so much violence in Iraq, although he did contribute to that violence. Iraq' s insurgency was fueled by the power vacuum and Sunni alienation after the fall of Saddam. He capitalised on the chaos and forged alliances and perhaps eclipsed the homegrown Sunni resistance.

"The bigger question is whether Iraq's homegrown Sunni insurgency can now be co-opted and brought into the political process. If you can do that, then obviously it will be harder for those foreign insurgents to operate, and you can partially cut off the flow of money and suicide bombers coming into the country."

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