Jordanian fugitive Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, wanted in connection with the 2002 assassination of a US diplomat, is believed to be a top chemical and biological weapons expert for Al-Qaeda and leading an Iraqi affiliate of the terror group. Zarqawi, 37, whose real name is Fadel Nazzal al-Khalayleh, is a veteran of the Afghan war against Soviet occupation, a US-backed conflict in the 1980s that drew many idealists from around the Muslim world. Years later, in late 2001, he was wounded in combat and lost a leg after taking up arms against the US-led forces who had launched a capaign to unseat the Taliban, who were harboring Al-Qaeda and ruling Afghanistan under a fiercely conservative form of Islam. Zarqawi, belongs to the Bani Hassan, one of Jordan’s largest tribes. He first left home, in one of Jordan’s poorest towns, to train in Al-Qaeda camps and join the anti-Soviet campaign. Full Story
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