[rmnunez]

When reports that Zarqawi was wounded first circulated—London's Sunday Times said he was "bleeding heavily" when a doctor in Ar Ramadi treated him in mid-May—some of the same officials dismissed them to NEWSWEEK as propaganda. But two of these counterterrorism officials now say the US intel community is becoming less skeptical. The weight of intelligence is "trending toward: something is amiss with the dude," says an intelligence-community official with access to relevant reports. Jihadi Web sites are loaded with prayers for a wounded Zarqawi, and US government analysts believe that Zarqawi's followers would consider it "un-Islamic" to post such paeans if the reports were fake. Rita Katz, a terrorism expert who monitors extremist Web sites, says she believes Zarqawi was injured because it was confirmed in a statement posted on a password-protected jihadi bulletin board by Abu Maysara al-Iraqi, a name attached to earlier Zarqawi messages believed to be authentic. Katz says that Abu Maysara's May 26 message confirmed Zarqawi had suffered unspecified "injuries," but denied he was dead or that a succession struggle had erupted among his followers. Katz says she thinks this message is authentic because it was posted on a section of the site where only the moderator has access. Abu Maysara later posted a statement claiming Zarqawi was in "good health."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8017661/site/newsweek/