BAGHDAD, Iraq — The U.S. military released on Tuesday a letter it believes was addressed to terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (search ) from an underling complaining that incompetence of leaders in his Al Qaeda in Iraq network is hurting morale among his fighters.
The letter's authenticity could not be independently confirmed, but it was the latest in a series of claims by U.S.-led forces of progress in the fight against Iraq's bloody insurgency, including defeating militants in skirmishes, raiding their hidden arms caches and getting tips about them from Iraqi informants.
But the claims come at a time when insurgents have dramatically stepped up attacks, including large bombings, killing nearly 170 people in six days.
Gen. Richard Myers (search ), chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on April 26 that Iraq's insurgency remains undiminished in its capabilities, despite U.S.-led efforts to crush the militants. "I think their capacity stays about the same. And where they are right now is where they were almost a year ago," he said at a Pentagon news conference.
Al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian-born militant who has declared his allegiance to Usama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network, is the most wanted man in Iraq. He is tied to many bombings, kidnappings and beheadings of hostages since the U.S.-led invasion removed Saddam Hussein (search ) from power two years ago.