| War on Iraq: Operations Begin | |
| Jonathan Rhodes August 27, 2002 |
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The international terrorist Abu Nidal headed The Abu Nidal Organization (Fatah Revolutionary Council, Arab Revolutionary Brigades, Black September, Revolutionary Organization of Socialist Muslims). They split from the PLO in 1974. Abu Nidal carried out terrorist attacks in 20 countries, killing or injuring almost 900 persons. Targets include the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Israel, moderate Palestinians, the PLO, and various Arab countries. Abu Nidal relocated to Baghdad in late 1998. Iraq had never admitted Abu Nidal was in the country until reports of his death in Baghdad emerged this week.
Jane's Information Group reported August 23, 2002, that their "wide-ranging investigation...has confirmed the Iraqi regime's involvement in the killing of Abu Nidal, whose death in a Baghdad apartment from gunshot wounds was announced last Friday (16 August)." [Abu Nidal murder trail leads directly to Iraqi regime By Mohammed Najib]
He was to be arrested by Iraqi agents for,
"...conspiring with anti-Iraqi forces, including Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Iraqi intelligence had apparently confronted Abu Nidal with evidence of his involvement with foreign agents to overthrow Saddam Hussein's regime, with an Iraqi senior official claiming that classified documents and plans concerning a US attack on Iraq were found in his house."
To that end, Abu Nidal did back Kuwait in Gulf War I.
Although Iraq reported that when police went to his home, Abu Nidal went into another room and shot himself in the mouth, his body was reported by Palestinian officials to have had several gunshot wounds.
Jane's also said that Palestinian sources in Ramallah reported three of Abu Nidal's men were arrested last week before the August 14th raid on Abu Nidal's apartment. His guards clashed with the Iraqi agents and two guards were wounded in the fight.
| Jane's explains that Saddam is moving against known and suspected "dangerous elements" that could play a role in his overthrow "both as a pre-emptive measure to protect his position and as an example to other prospective internal enemies still at large." |
"Given Abu Nidal's propensity to 'go with the smart money' to survive and his past treachery during the 1990-1991 Gulf War, any suggestion of him plotting against the regime would have been enough to sign his death warrant."
Good riddance.