Guest: Rob AshlarRecorded: September 12, 2026 We continue our series on the pivotal Iraqi insurgency with researcher Rob Ashlar. In part 5, we cover the events of the summer of 2006: the assassination of Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) founder/emir Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, which the Bush Admin promised would all but end the insurgency. Spoiler: It didn't. We discuss Zarqawi's replacement, Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, how AQI and its parent umbrella, the Mujahideen Shura Council (MSC), radicalized its violence and adapted to local conditions as the Iraqi national government and the US-led Coalition forces lost control over Anbar province. Subscribe to Rob Ashlar's substack. Follow Rob on Twitter here.Read Rob Ashlar's article "Incapable of Military Defeat: The Story of the Iraqi Insurgency (May-August 2006)" in Cosmonaut magazine. Further listening:-RWN #458 — Iraqi Insurgency, Pt 1: 2003-4-RWN #459 — Iraq Insurgency, Pt 2: 2005-RWN #622 — Iraqi Insurgency, Pt 3: Early 2006-RWN #624 — Iraqi Insurgency, Pt. 4: Spring 2006 Total time: 1:43:20Direct link to this episode's mp3 here * John's new essay collection, To The Crows, is available to subscribers. You can also order a hard copy on Amazon - read it, know it, review it! Subscribe to Radio War Nerd at patreon.com/radiowarnerd Sound production by Telescope Audio