I originally blogged on the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi when the news first broke and details were scarce. Now, more information about the implications of his death have come to light.

The BBC is reporting comments from the Iraqi national security adviser, Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, that the death of Zarqawi marks the "beginning of the end" for his organisation, Al-Qaeda in Iraq.

This judgement appears to be based on the recovery of important documents from the scene of Zarqawi's death:

Mr Rubaie said a pocket hard drive, a laptop and documents were found in the debris after the strike.

The documents and records revealed the names and whereabouts of other al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders, he said, adding that more information has since been found in raids on other insurgent hideouts.

Associated Press is reporting that a total of 452 raids have been carried out since Zarqawi's death, the majority being joint coalition-Iraqi operations and a substantial number being carried out by Iraqi forces alone. These raids have apparently led to the deaths of over 100 insurgents and the capture of 28 arms caches.

So is this the big breakthrough? We can, of course, but hope. But what I do find heartening for the future security of Iraq is the increasingly prominent role taken by Iraqi forces and the Iraqi government. This quote from Mr Rubaie illustrates the point:

"We believe that this is the beginning of the end of al-Qaeda in Iraq," Mr Rubaie said.

"They did not anticipate how powerful the Iraqi security forces are and how the government is on the attack now."

I'm wary of drawing conclusions from a short run of apparently good news, against a background of a multitude of disappointments. But if this does prove to be the turning point, it will be due to the fact that the Iraqi government is taking the lead in providing for the country's security.

It's also interesting to note that documents found with Zarqawi listed possible future strategies for Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and one was to widen the gulf between the US and Iran by carrying out attacks which could be blamed directly on Iran. We should be glad that this plan has failed, and bear its implications in mind when considering who bears responsibility for future terrorist attacks.