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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (102037)	6/19/2003 3:32:29 AM
From: Nadine Carroll	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Interesting report: Net closing on Saddam as top aide is captured By Toby Harnden in Washington (Filed: 19/06/2003) Saddam Hussein's right hand man and chief bodyguard was being interrogated by the CIA last night. His capture marks the greatest success for coalition forces since the end of the Iraq war. Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti, the most senior Iraqi to be arrested, was ranked fourth in America's "most wanted" list, coming after Saddam and his two sons, Uday and Qusay. He was believed to have overseen Saddam's programmes to develop and hide weapons of mass destruction and only Saddam's sons were closer to the deposed dictator than Abid Hamid. His capture, on Monday, suggests that the net could be closing in on Saddam. The Lieutenant General seldom left his leader's side, and American officials expressed hopes that they could soon have Saddam in their sights. Abid Hamid had continuous access to Saddam in his last years of rule and it is believed no one saw the leader without his approval. He is a distant cousin and Saddam was said to have trusted him completely. He and Qusay oversaw Saddam's Special Security Organisation. In the 1990s, Abid Hamid was given responsibility for several portfolios, including geographical areas where Saddam was subsequently accused of hiding weapons of mass destruction. He began his military career as a non-commissioned officer in Saddam's bodyguard but rose steadily through the ranks. News that the ace of diamonds in America's "most wanted" deck of cards, was in custody came after Tony Blair battled against fierce criticism during Prime Minister's Questions. He faced claims that the Government fabricated or exaggerated evidence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. "Saddam was a threat to his region and to the wider world," Mr Blair insisted. "I always made it clear that the issue was not whether he was about to launch an immediate strike on Britain. The issue was whether he posed a threat to his region and to the wider world." Some 32 of the 55 Iraqis identified by US intelligence agencies have surrendered or been taken prisoner but few are believed to have disclosed significant information about chemical or biological weapons or a secret nuclear arms programme. The capture of Saddam would be a major political victory for President George W Bush and Mr Blair and could encourage those in custody to be more frank because the fear of reprisals against their families would have dissipated. No details of Abid Hamid's capture were released by the Pentagon. But yesterday a huge operation was launched. American troops raided two farmhouses and found £5.3 million in US dollars, up to £250 million in Iraqi dinars, quantities of British pounds and euros and £600,000 in gems. Up to 50 people believed to be part of Saddam's security or intelligence apparatus or members of paramilitary groups were taken prisoner. "I believe over the next three to four days, you will hear much more about the number of senior Iraqi individuals we have detained here over the last couple of days," said Maj Gen Ray Odierno, commander of the US 4th Infantry Division. He said it was believed that part of the money was intended for funding bounties to be paid for killing American soldiers. The operation, one of the biggest since the fall of Baghdad, will raise morale among coalition troops struggling to deal with continued unrest. portal.telegraph.co.uk