Adib Shaaban, the right hand of Saddam Hussein's powerful son Uday, has defected.

Debka ^ | 2/14/03

[formerlytempaussie]

DEBKA-Net-Weekly reports exclusively that this key member of Saddam Hussein's administration, who was charged with his son's most sensitive missions, traveled to Jeddah at the beginning of this week, saying he needed to put through some gold transactions ahead of the war.

From Jeddah, he flew to Beirut and disappeared.

US intelligence sources report that Shaaban never really went to Beirut. He made his way under cover to Damascus Monday and was picked up by an unmarked plane for an unknown destination.

As Uday's closest aide, he also managed a chain of official publications, including the authoritative Babel, and was in on the Saddam regime's deepest secrets.

Uday commands the secret army known as Saddam's Fedayeen, the backbone of Baghdad's defenses and custodian of the weapons of mass destruction that were not smuggled out to Lebanon.

Uday is also the chief of the ruling Baath Party's covert service.

Shaaban must therefore be a veritable treasury of Saddam Hussein's secrets. In American hands, Uday's chef de bureau would be even more valuable than the proverbial smoking gun.

[formerlytempaussie]

Probably not true. No one in the whole Middle East tells the truth about anything.

[fooman]

I think there was second source yesterday on this.

I think it was Haartz, an Isreali newspaper.

[grobdriver]

This is terrible.
I think Saddam ought to have this guy's immediate superior arrested and executed for not forseeing this event.
And he shouldn't stop there. Have the superior's superior arrested and executed for failing to properly supervise a person who could not forsee this event.

[nunoste]

Wouldn't it be grand if Powell escorted Mr. Adib Shaaban onto the floor of the Security COuncil to announce just how duped Blix and co. have been? That would be an event for the ages considering the reprehensible report given by Blix and El Bardai.

[thinktwice]

No one in the whole Middle East tells the truth about anything.

An interesting view.

What is it that indicates that an individual is trustworthy?

[CaptainJustice]

They name their body parts?

I never gave my right hand a name... maybe I'll call him... Punchy.


/lame post

[Capt. Tom]

Actually it is Uday who has left the country.

His double will stay in place till the bombs fall. Then the double, who has a swiss bank account, will resume his other life as an anti - Saadam activist. -Tom

[Free the USA]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[js1138]

What is it that indicates that an individual is trustworthy?

A history of telling the truth.

[philosofy123]

How difficult is it for us to offer say $100 millions to any republican guard that kills Saddam? That is probably much more thanthe $30/month they make

[js1138]

Yes. But it would be difficult to sepnd it all in the 0.3 seconds of life remaining.

[First_Salute]

The Man Who Never Was

[knak]

It was in Ha'aretz news ticker. Also posted here.

[ChinaThreat]

I call mine girlfriend. Just kidding! Couldnt help it.

[jnarcus]

One of Saddam's body guard doubles has also defected and is in Britain spilling his guts about everything he can think of...Rats dessert sinking ships

[InShanghai]

Wouldn't it be interesting if all of this was a story made up by an intelligence agency? By the time he arrived home, all of his family would be either raped, jailed, or executed.... This was bound to happen. There will probably be more defectors (maybe even en masse).

[Boot Hill]

InShanghai says:   "By the time he arrived home, all of his family would be either raped, jailed, or executed."

Yes, but in the reverse order that you suggest.

--Boot Hill

[fooman]

I was hoping for the same thing.

[TPartyType]

bttt