What John Pilger (3 October) writes about the activities of the British army in southern Iraq is important and troubling. However, he relays a rumour, current there, that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed at the start of the US invasion and his name is being used by the Americans as a demon figure. If this is the case, then Pilger must explain why non-western TV channels that are not obviously US front organisations, such as al-Jazeera, have since then been tricked into broadcasting videos in which someone claiming to be al-Zarqawi decapitates a western hostage. This would seem to require a larger conspiracy theory, for which I feel Pilger will need to provide more of a basis.

Sam McCormack
Beckenham, Kent

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