Is Michael Brown in charge of the Iraqi security forces?

Because that would certainly explain this:

Terror chief mistakenly released, official says

Iraqi security forces caught the most wanted man in the country last year, but released him because they didn’t know who he was, the Iraqi deputy minister of interior said Thursday.

Hussain Kamal confirmed that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi — the al Qaeda in Iraq leader who has a $25 million bounty on his head — was in custody at some point last year, but he wouldn’t provide further details.

A U.S. official couldn’t confirm the report, but said he wouldn’t dismiss it.

“It is plausible,” he said. [...]

A high-ranking Iraqi Army officer said there were rumors that al-Zarqawi was at the Ramadi medical center, and several groups affiliated with the al Qaeda operative issued statements saying the same.

Iraqi Lt. Gen. Nasser Abadi said Thursday that al-Zarqawi was taken to the hospital.

“When we got the news, we rushed there, but he was out of there,” the general said.

I expect George Bush to announce that Iraqi security is doing a heck of a job.

Addendum: Interesting that this story took so long to get out…

Technorati Tags: Iraq, Zarqawi