The most-wanted terrorist in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, got his wish Wednesday; he&8217;s now officially capable of being considered a martyr.

Despite the death of their leader in Iraq, members of al-Qaida vowed that the jihad would continue.

&8220;The death of our leaders is life for us,&8221; they wrote on a Web site. &8220;It will only increase our persistence in continuing holy war so that the word of God will be supreme.&8221;

Call him what you want &8212; martyr or cold-blooded terrorist. The important thing is: He&8217;s dead.

Al-Zarqawi has wreaked havoc on the world all in the name of God, he says.

We in the West find it difficult to see how a purportedly religious man could terrorize the world including orchestrating bombings and even personally beheading two Americans.

While al-Zarqawi&8217;s demise is, itself, caused by a violent act, we believe ending his reign of terror justifies his death.

His death is proof the war on terror, while agonizingly long and tough to stomach, does eventually yield results. Proof of that can be found, not only in al-Zarqawi&8217;s death, but also in how troops found him. They were tipped off by local Iraqis, presumably who were tired of his terrorist attacks claiming the lives of their fellow countrymen.

We&8217;re glad the thug is dead and, hopefully, his followers who are intent on causing harm to others will follow him to his afterlife fate soon.