Saddam's 'Chemical Ali' still alive

australian ^ | 3/23/03

[knak]

US intelligence indicates at least one of Saddam Hussein's top deputies is alive and may command some of Iraq's military efforts.

A senior US official said today there was no new, credible intelligence that would indicate whether Saddam or his sons Qusay and Uday were alive, dead or wounded.

State-run Iraqi television reported that Saddam held two meetings today with senior government members and Qusay, who is regarded as his father's likely successor.

Video footage from the meetings was not shown during the initial broadcast, but did air in an evening report.

A military spokesman read a communique on the day's fighting, which included combat missions by Fedayeen Saddam, a paramilitary militia used by Saddam's government to oppress internal foes. It has been commanded by Uday.

The US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said one high-level Iraqi leader was known to be alive: Saddam's cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid al-Tikriti.

He is known to his enemies as "Chemical Ali" for leading a deadly 1988 campaign in northern Iraq against rebellious Kurds that included chemical weapons attacks.

Ali Hassan was not thought to be present for the war's opening strike that was aimed at Saddam.

As for Saddam, "I have no idea where he is right now," US commander General Tommy Franks said today during a press briefing at command headquarters in Qatar.

He said he believed there was "a certain confusion" going on within the Iraqi government as to control, but stressed American forces did not consider their mission to be about Saddam alone.

"It is not about that one personality," Franks said. "In fact, it is about this regime. And so that's what we're going to focus on."

Described as one of Saddam's chief enforcers, Ali Hassan is believed to be commanding Iraqi military and security efforts in a large portion of southeastern Iraq.

The Bush administration has said it wants Ali Hassan tried for war crimes or crimes against humanity.

The official also said that as of this morning, the six fighting divisions of the veteran Republican Guard, most of which are guarding the approaches to Baghdad, appeared ready to fight.

Ali Hassan commands the southern sector facing US and British troops in Kuwait.

He served as governor of Kuwait during Iraq's seven-month occupation of the emirate in 1990-1991.

[knak]

Didn't see this posted. But if true, I would think he would use WMD's on us if given the chance.

[Free the USA]

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

[MizSterious]

LS was just asking about this vermin. I hope this report is wrong--and I agree with you: if he's alive, why no chem attacks? (Or maybe we're already guarding the chems...)

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I thought we had got him in Basra!

[patriciaruth]

One thread suggested they may try to lure us into shelling a place where they have gas stored and then blame its release on us.

Another factor is wind. If they use poison gas, the winds may disperse it too quickly for it to be effective; but we could detect and then have a WMD card of our own to play.

Or they are not willing yet to sacrifice their own troops in a general last gasp dispersal, a la Jim Jones.

[patriciaruth]

Looks like we have dueling sources here. ABC's source claims Ali died in the decapitation attack.

I think I'll go with Rummy and Franks, We don't know...Prepare for confronting the worse.

[knak]

yes, like Baghdad. They said all along Saddam's stronghold would be Baghdad because he knew he didn't have a chance protecting the whole country. Not against our air power.

[Only1choice____Freedom]

>>then have a WMD card of our own to play."

OOOOHHH!! Then we would have the French backing us!

[oceanview]

I'll go with the CIA report, since it was their operation. DoD cannot admit this, because he was likely at the meeting with Saddam and sons, so if they admit Ali is dead, what will they say about Saddam? Batchelor and Alexander talked about this in detail on their show last night, see post here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/871631/posts?page=85#85

[GeneD]

Sorry, it was posted -- with a different title, and under Front Page. Oh, well....

What amazes me is, this is an important story -- a leading Iraqi official still alive, conducting the war effort, not to mention "Chemical Ali," whom ABC News said had been killed on opening night -- and both posts combined got about twenty comments, a fraction of the hundreds and hundreds about that attempted homicide in Kuwait, a story that will be forgotten even before we declare victory. As I said, oh, well....

[kimchi lover]

DANG! I thought reports came out that this evil dude was toast as of the surgical strike the other night. Oh well, at least now we will be able to try him for war crimes when we get his sorry butt.

[oceanview]

see above, 106 posts on the original thread.

but you are right, this is a "big" story. see my post above. the key to this one is the conflict between the DoD and the CIA.

[knak]

I wish they'd get their stories straight!

[oceanview]

they don't want to. they can't. read my post above about what Batchelor and Alexander said. if Ali and the two VPs were hit, so was Saddam. if Ali is walking around on the battlefield, we've got some problems.

[knak]

They ALL need to "be gone"! I'll be worried till they are. This is getting scarier as we get closer to Baghdad, don't you think?

[oceanview]

the level of conflicting information is starting to spook me. we are supposedly 150 miles from Baghdad, yet Kuwait just had another SCUD fired against it, which Tommy Franks will likely deny was launched! we keep hearing about "massive surrenders", but the numbers being reported don't add up. this Ali story is the same. the nature of this conflict is such that this level of disinformation is needed I guess.

[Toskrin]

I imagine the chemical weapons are in the hands of Saddam's most trusted troops, which are near and in Baghdad. He would deploy his best weapons with his best troops.

[Maeve]

This is what I expect. And I imagine the Muslim world will claim that all of the civilians who will die as these weapons drift across Baghdad will have died because of the USA.

[VRWC_minion]

what if the remaining leadership has actually surrendered and is working in consert with Pentagon ?