US DOJ.gov - United States Attorney - Central District of California - News Release: Los Angeles, California - "'SMOKING DRAGON' UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION RESULTS IN NEW INDICTMENT ALLEGING SCHEME TO SMUGGLE SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILES INTO UNITED STATES" (November 9, 2005)
Note: The following text is an exact quote:
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http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/News_Release.asp?NewsRelease=20051169.txt
NEWS RELEASE
HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND
7115 South Boundary Boulevard
MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101
Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894
November 15, 2005
Release Number: 05-11-69
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COALITION FORCES CAPTURE HIGH LEVEL BA'ATH PARTY LEADER
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces captured Hamid Sharki Shadid, the leader of the New Ba’ath Party in Diyala Province, during a patrol November 9th.
Coalition members apprehended Shadid along with physical evidence at his home.
Shadid is a former member of the Ba’ath Party in Diyala Province and is suspected of being responsible for all anti-Iraqi forces Ba’ath Party activities in that area.
Shadid’s capture is a major achievement for Coalition Forces as they believe he can provide crucial information on the whereabouts of former Staff General Jamal Karki, a suspected Ba’athist insurgent, and Abd-al-Baqi al-Sa’adun, who has been a fugitive since the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003.
As the former Ba’ath Party Regional Chairman of Diyala Province and Regional Chairman of Southern Iraq, al Sa’adun is wanted for crimes against humanity committed during the 1999 Shi’ite uprising. Al-Sa’adun has remained a key leader within the Iraqi insurgency, recruiting and financing foreign terrorists in eastern and central Iraq. Al-Sa’adun also actively coordinated, financed and directed attacks against Iraqi police and civilians in Nasiriyah, Basrah and Diyala provinces.
It is believed that Sa’adun finances insurgent activities with money stolen from the people of Iraq during the Saddam regime and that Shadid may be an accomplice.
Coalition Forces will continue their pursuit of al-Sa’adun and Karki and view Shadid’s capture as a step closer to their apprehension. Up to one million U.S. Dollars is being offered to capture or kill Abd-al-Baqi al-Sa’adun.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE COMBINED PRESS INFORMATION CENTER at: cpicpressdesk@iraq.centcom.mil.
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