BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A three-year manhunt came down to a little inside help, a fair bit of intelligence work and a couple of detoured fighter jets.

That's how the search wrapped up for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq.

U.S. military officials said that with help from an al-Zarqawi insider, they identified and started tracking his spiritual leader. That led them to a modest home northeast of Baghdad, where the two men hooked up Wednesday.

Seizing the window of opportunity, officials say two F-16's were diverted from another mission and sent to drop a pair of 500-pound bombs on the house. They killed both men, as well as four other people.

While Zarqawi's people confirm his death, U.S. officials said a D-N-A test should make it positive within days.

Maj. Gen. William Caldwell showed what he describe as photo of al-Zarqawi to reporters at a news conference Thursday. In the photo, the man's eyes are closed and there are bloodspots behind him. (Note: Graphic Photos -- Photo A | Photo B)

Caldwell also played video of the attack as see by a camera mopunted in one of the F-16 fighter jets.

Once the body was found it was moved to a secure location to make a positive identification. That was done through tattoos, fingerprints and scars.

Caldwell said the military had "absolutely no doubt whatsoever" that Zarqawi was in the house.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said al-Zarqawi was killed in a U.S. air raid north of Baghdad Thursday evening along with seven aides. The room erupted in cheers when the announcement was made at a news conference.

Al-Zarqawi is the the Jordanian-born al-Qaida-linked terror leader in Iraq who had become almost as infamous as Osama bin Laden.

He led a bloody campaign of suicide bombings, kidnappings and hostage beheadings that made him one of the most wanted men in Iraq. He is believed to have personally beheaded at least two American hostages n 2004: Nicholas Berg, a 26-year-old businessman from West Chester, Pa., and Eugene Armstrong, a 52-year-old contractor from Hillsdale, Mich. Jack Hensley, a 48-year-old engineer from Marietta, Ga., was abducted at the same time as Armstrong and also killed.

Al-Zarqawihad a $25 million bounty on his head, courtesy of the U.S. government.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the airstrike that killed al-Zarqawi achieved "a significant victory" in the battle against terrorism.

But Rumsfeld said the militant leader's death won't "mean the end of all violence" in Iraq.

Rumsfeld is in Belgium for meetings with defense ministers. He said the al-Qaida-in-Iraq leader "personified the dark, sadistic and medieval vision of the future" held by Islamic militants. And Rumsfeld said in recent years "no single person on this planet" has had more innocent blood on his hands than al-Zarqawi.

Rumsfeld said the militant's death is important both in Iraq and around the world.

Bush Hails Killing Of Al-Qaida Leader

President George W. Bush said al-Zarqawi's death is a severe blow to al-Qaida and a victory in the war on terrorism.

In remarks in the White House Rose Garden, Bush congratulated the new Iraqi government and heaped praise on coalition and U.S. forces. He said they never gave up and their persistence and determination were rewarded.

"The ideology of terror has lost one of its visible and aggressive leaders," Bush said. But he warned that the "difficult and necessary mission" continues and that sectarian violence in Iraq won't come to a halt.

One thing that White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said is not justified by Zarqawi's death is "euphoria."

On Friday, Bush welcomes an Iraq ally, the prime minister of Denmark, to Camp David.

On Monday, Bush's national security team will meet there for a two-day discussion of Iraq's future security, political and economic needs.

Reporters have been told the meeting is not to announce a pullout of any U.S. troops.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said it's a good day for the United States.

Appearing at a news conference with Iraq's prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, Khalilzad said "the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is a huge success for Iraq and the international war on terror." During a Baghdad news conference, he also gave the thumbs-up signal.

Al-Maliki said the death of the terror mastermind should be a warning that they will kill whoever tries to follow the militant's lead and become a new al-Zarqawi. He said for all those who embrace violence, killing and destruction, they should stop and retreat "before it's too late." He called it an "open battle" now with all those who incite sectarianism.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said al-Zarqawi's death is good news because "a blow to al-Qaida in Iraq is a blow against al-Qaida everywhere."

U.S. Cautiously Hopeful

U.S. counterterrorism officials are breathing a sigh of relief, albeit a cautious one, following the death of al-Zarqawi.

Several officials said that while his death is significant, it won't end the terror operations or violence in Iraq.

Almost as if on cue, Iraqi police Friday said a car bombing at a market in Baghdad has killed at least 12 people and wounded 65.

One official, who requested anonymity, said the death of the notorious terror mastermind "shouldn't cause anyone to have unrealistic expectations."

But al-Zarqawi's death is still the biggest triumph since former President Saddam Hussein was captured in late 2003.

Osama bin Laden called al-Zarqawi the "emir," or prince, of al-Qaida in Iraq.

Al-Zarqawi Was Branching Out

Besides being the most wanted man in Iraq before his death in a U.S. air raid, al-Zarqawi's influence had begun to creep beyond Baghdad.

Al-Zarqawi claimed to have carried out a 2005 triple suicide bombing against hotels in Amman, Jordan, that killed 60 people. He also claimed other attacks in Jordan and even a rocket attack from Lebanon into northern Israel. U.S. forces and their allies had come close to capturing al-Zarqawi several times since his campaign began in mid-2003.

Al-Maliki said the air strike that killed al-Zarqawi was the result of intelligence reports provided to Iraqi security forces by residents in the area, and U.S. forces acted on the information.

Al-Zarqawi's Brother Says Family Anticipated His Death

Al-Zarqawi's family is not surprised at the news of his death.

His older brother, Sayel al-Khalayleh, spoke with The Associated Press by phone and said they "expected that he would be martyred." Speaking in a low voice, al-Khalayleh said the family hopes al-Zarqawi will join other martyrs in heaven.

Al-Khalayleh spoke from Zarqa, al-Zarqawi's hometown and the town from which he derived his name.

Jordan Provided Information

An official said Jordan provided the U.S. military with information that helped track down and kill al-Zarqawi.

Some of the information came from Jordan's sources inside Iraq and led the U.S. military to the area of Baqouba. That's the region northeast of Baghdad where Iraq's prime minister said al-Zarqawi was killed.

The Jordanian official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was addressing intelligence issues. Jordan is known to have intelligence agents operating in Iraq to hunt down Islamic militants.

Jordan also analyzed an April video issued by al-Zarqawi and helped pinpoint where it was filmed.

When the video came out, observers said the flat desert setting resembled parts of Iraq's Anbar province, to the west of Diyala province, where Baqouba is located.

Arab Media, Web Sites Rush To Cover Death

Islamic extremist Web sites are lamenting the death of al-Zarqawi.

On one Web site, known as a clearinghouse for al-Qaida-in-Iraq statements, there was one posting shortly after the news broke that said, "We hope this news is not true." Another note on the site said if he has died, "he will go to heaven, God willing, and there will be 200 million al-Zarqawis after him."

News of his death warranted a break into normal programming for most Arab television stations. But some state TV stations largely ignored it. Government-run stations in Syria, Saudi Arabia and Yemen continued with regular programming.

Nabil al-Khatib, an executive with Al-Arabiya television, called al-Zarqawi's death very important news. He predicted it will have an impact on the course of political developments.

Nick Berg's Dad Not Happy

The father of a U.S. contractor believed to have been beheaded on video in Iraq by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi told CNN that he sees no good coming from al-Zarqawi's death.

"I see more death coming out of al-Zarqawi's death," Michael Berg said.

Berg, a pacifist who is running for Delaware's lone U.S. House seat on the Green Party ticket, is the father of Nicholas Berg, who was taken hostage and executed by Islamic militants in 2004.

Berg said al-Zarqawi's death is likely to foster anti-American resentment among al-Qaida members who feel they have nothing left to lose. He dismissed the notion that al-Zarqawi's death might bring him closure regarding the killing of his son.

"First of all, I'm not even certain that al-Zarqawi even killed my son," said Berg, who doesn't believe the videotape of his son's execution or what he's been told by the FBI any more than he believes conspiracy theories suggesting that Nicholas Berg was killed by the FBI or a U.S. assassination squad.

"I think the news of the loss of any human being is a tragedy. I think al-Zarqawi's death is a double tragedy," he said.

Not only does al-Zarqawi leave a grieving family, but his death is likely to spark renewed violence, Berg said.

"His death will incite a new wave of revenge. George Bush and al-Zarqawi are two men who believe in revenge," he said. "It just doesn't do any good. It just continues an endless cycle of one death after another, after another."