The article wasn't written 12 years ago. The article was based on Iraqi government documents (tons of documents actually) captured and brought out of Iraq by Kurds since the Gulf War. Some of these documents go back as far as 12 years. Some are more recent. They are stored in Colorado now and this fellow Al-Marashi who has pretty good academic credentials has studied them extensively. They provide a lot of information about the Iraq regime and its intelligence operations and how they operate.
Oh, here is a source which compares sections of the British dossier with Al-Marashi's work:
news.bbc.co.uk
Here are some examples of similarities between the government dossier and the work of Ibrahim al-Marashi.
The National Security Council
Government dossier
"Headed by Saddam Hussein but usually chaired by his son Qusay Hussein, it oversees the work of all other security agencies."
Ibrahim al-Marashi's work
"Headed by Saddam, but usually chaired by Qusay, the Council includes representatives from the Office of the Presidential Palace and Iraq's five major security units.
"Although Special Security was created to serve as an agency to coordinate Iraq's competing intelligence and security services, the National Security Council serves as the supervisory body on intelligence matters."
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The Directorate of General Intelligence
Government dossier
"Al-Mukhabarat is roughly divided into a department responsible for internal operations, co-ordinated through provincial offices, and another responsible for international operations, conducted from various Iraqi embassies.
Its internal activities include:
* Spying within the Ba'th Party, as well as other political parties;
* Suppressing Shi'a, Kurdish and other opposition
* counter-espionage
* targeting threatening individuals and groups inside Iraq
* spying on foreign embassies in Iraq and foreigners in Iraq
* maintaining an internal network of informants
Its external activities include
* spying on Iraqi diplomats abroad
* collecting overseas intelligence
* supporting terrorist organisations in hostile regimes
* conducting sabotage, subversion, and terrorist operations against neighbouring countries such as Syria and Iran
* murder of opposition elements outside of Iraq
* infiltrating Iraqi opposition groups abroad
* providing dis-information and exploitation of Arab and other media
* maintaining an international network of informants, using popular organisations as well such as the Union of Iraqi Students."
Ibrahim al-Marashi's work
"General Intelligence is roughly divided into a department responsible for internal operations, coordinated through provincial offices, and another responsible for international operations, conducted from various Iraqi embassies. Its internal activities include:
* 1) monitoring the Ba'th Party, as well as other political parties
* 2) monitoring other grass roots organizations, including youth, women and union groups
* 3) suppressing Shi'a, Kurdish and other opposition
* 4) counter-espionage
* 5) targeting threatening individuals and groups inside of Iraq
* 6) monitoring foreign embassies in Iraq
* 6) monitoring foreigners in Iraq
* 7) maintaining an internal network of informants
Its external activities include:
* 8) monitoring Iraqi embassies abroad;
* 9) collecting overseas intelligence;
* 10) aiding opposition groups in hostile regimes;
* 11) conducting sabotage, subversion, and terrorist operations against hostile neighboring countries such as Syria and Iran;
* 12) murder of opposition elements outside of Iraq;
* 13) infiltrating Iraqi opposition groups abroad;
* 14) providing disinformation and attempts to exploit or use Arab and other media
* 15) maintaining an international network of informants, using popular organizations as well such as the Union of Iraqi Students."
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The Directorate of Military Intelligence
Government dossier
"These shifting appointments are part of Saddam's policy of balancing security positions.
"By constantly shifting the directors of these agencies, no one can establish a base in a security organisation for a substantial period of time. No one becomes powerful enough to challenge the President. "
Ibrahim al-Marashi's work
"These shifting appointments are part of Saddam's policy of balancing security positions between Tikritis and non-Tikritis, in the belief that the two factions would not unite to overthrow him.
"Not only that, but by constantly shifting the directors of these agencies, no one can establish a base in a security organization for a substantial period of time, that would challenge the President."
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Military Security Service
Government dossier
"The Security branch is responsible for monitoring and countering dissent within Amn, and the Military Brigade provides rapid intervention para-military capabilities - the Brigade commander was executed in August 1996 for alleged involvement in a coup attempt."
Ibrahim al-Marashi's work
"Military Security is responsible for 1) detecting and countering dissent in the Iraqi armed forces"
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Special Republican Guard
Government dossier
"Headed by Qusay Hussein, it serves as a praetorian guard, protecting Presidential sites and escorting Saddam Hussein on travels within Iraq. "
Ibrahim al-Marashi's work
"Qusay heads this unit, which provides protection for all presidential sites, including offices and personal residences, as well as escorting Saddam when he is traveling within Iraq."
As you can see the plagiarized sections of the British dossier involves descriptions of Iraq's intelligence agencies. |
