WORLD REACTION

The BBC compiled qoutes from around the world on reaction to the death of Al-Zarqawi:

Here they are:

World leaders and other figures react to news that militant leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been killed in an air raid north of Baghdad.

US PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH
"The ideology of terror has lost one of its most visible and aggressive leaders. Zarqawi's death is a severe blow to al-Qaeda. It's a victory in the global war on terror...
"The difficult and necessary mission in Iraq continues. We can expect the terrorists and insurgents to carry on without him. We can expect the sectarian violence to continue."

UK PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR
"The death of Zarqawi is a strike against al-Qaeda in Iraq and therefore a strike against al-Qaeda everywhere but we should have no illusions.
"We know that they will continue to kill, we know that there are many, many obstacles to overcome."

AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER JOHN HOWARD
"The reported death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is great news for the people of Iraq, the real victims of his murderous behaviour. Not only does his death remove a cruel terrorist, but it's also a huge boost for anti-terrorist forces in Iraq."

AFGHAN PRESIDENT HAMID KARZAI
"Zarqawi's death is not the end of terrorism in the world, but a significant step in ridding the world of the menace of terrorism.
"This success should encourage us all, both in the Muslim world and beyond, to continue and step up our common fight against terrorism."

STATEMENT ON WEBSITE USED BY AL-QAEDA
"We announce the martyr death of our sheikh, fighter Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
"[His death will] only reinforce our determination to pursue jihad so that the word of Allah gains the upper hand."

STAN BIGLEY, BROTHER OF KEN BIGLEY, BRITISH HOSTAGE KILLED IN IRAQ
"I'm glad he's off the face of the earth, not just for my brother but for all the people he has killed. "Ken was just one of a multitude of innocent people killed by that man. He was a monster."

MICHAEL BERG, FATHER OF NICK BERG, A US CITIZEN SAID TO HAVE BEEN KILLED BY ZARQAWI IN IRAQ
"I have no sense of relief, just sadness that another human being had to die.
"As the poet John Donne said, any man's death diminishes me. It doesn't bring my son back, and this will just bring a new cycle of revenge killings."

US AMBASSADOR IN IRAQ ZALMAY KHALILZAD
"The death of Abu Musab Zarqawi marks a great success for Iraq and the global war on terror. Zarqawi was the godfather of sectarian killing and terror in Iraq. Zarqawi's death will not by itself end the violence in Iraq, but it is an important step in the right direction. It is a good omen for Iraq and for Prime Minister's Maliki's new government."

IRAQI DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER BARHAM SALIH
"This is a very important victory for the people of Iraq. He was the evil of terrorism. He was responsible for the deaths of many people in Iraq. Having him killed is a very important achievement for us. We are strongly determined to root out the remaining al-Qaeda people. This is a serious blow to terrorism. We hope that terrorism in Iraq will be over."

IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER HOSHYAR ZEBARI
"This is a happy day for the people of Iraq, and for me personally, because Zarqawi was one of the most-wanted terrorists who terrorised Iraqi people over the last three years, and this is a major step towards fighting the remnants of these terrorist groups who are operating, and really this is a good day for the new government."

ZARQAWI'S OLDER BROTHER, AHMED FADHIL NAZZAL AL-KHALAYLEH
"We anticipated that he would be killed for a very long time. We expected that he would be martyred. We hope that he will join other martyrs in heaven."

ISRAELI OPPOSITION LEADER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU
"Everyone who wants a better world, free of murderous, crazed terrorism needs to welcome the elimination of Zarqawi."

UK'S FORMER SPECIAL ENVOY TO IRAQ SIR JEREMY GREENSTOCK
"I think it's comparable with the capture of Saddam Hussein for significance, I think it's a necessary, though not sufficient condition for the improvement in the security situation in Iraq. I think it's true that the attacks by jihadists, by non-Iraqi terrorists in Iraq, will not stop, indeed there may be a minor increase as his team try to react to his capture and death or whatever happened."