Changes

==Return to the Middle East==

==Return to the Middle East==

He spent seven years in prison in Jordan for conspiring to overthrow the monarchy and establish an Islamic caliphate.

He spent seven years in prison in Jordan for conspiring to overthrow the monarchy and establish an Islamic caliphate. Osama bin Laden invited Zarqawi to join al Qaeda in 2000, but Zarqawi refused having differing views on the basic strategy for global jihad. Bin Laden wanted to first focus on defeating the United States, then destroy Israel and the House of Sa'ud, and finally establish the [[Caliphate]]. Zarqawi, following the strategy mapped out by Abu Musab al-Suri, a veteran of the 1982 Syrian uprising, wanted to carve out an Islamic State in the heart of the Middle East, declare a Caliphate, and invite jihadis from all over the world to unite Muslims and war against non-believers.

Jordan had asked Iraq to extradite al-Zarqawi following the murder of the U.S. diplomat Lawrence Foley, executive officer of USAid, but [[Saddam Hussein]]'s regime ignored the request. Zarqawi was in Iraq at the end of 2002 and was given shelter by the terrorist group Ansar al-Islam which operated from northern Iraq. <ref>http://www.gloria-center.org/meria/articles/2006/march/karmon/1.pdf</ref> He was tried ''in absentia'' for murder in Jordan and given the death penalty.

Jordan had asked Iraq to extradite al-Zarqawi following the murder of the U.S. diplomat Lawrence Foley, executive officer of USAid, but [[Saddam Hussein]]'s regime ignored the request. Zarqawi was in Iraq at the end of 2002 and was given shelter by the terrorist group Ansar al-Islam which operated from northern Iraq<ref>http://www.gloria-center.org/meria/articles/2006/march/karmon/1.pdf</ref> where he established a chemical weapons lab. He was tried ''in absentia'' for murder in Jordan and given the death penalty.

 

In 2004, after bin Laden successfully established himself as the leader of global jihad, Zarqawi then was granted the al Qaeda in Iraq franchise and recognized as Emir of Iraq by bin Laden. Zarqawi was given wide latitude however on how to pursue his aims: al Qaeda wanted to unite Muslims (Sunni & Shi'a) in the war against the global infidel alliance; Zarqawi wanted to ignite sectarian war and an insurgency against Shi'ism to make post-Saddam Iraq ungovernable for the United States.

==al-Qaeda in Iraq==

==al-Qaeda in Iraq==