Saddam's Half-Brother Killed

MSNBC | April 10, 2003

[Cultural Jihad]

MSNBC just announced that Saddam's half-brother was killed with multiple JDAMs.

[El Gato]

hmmmm... hasn't the number of JDAMs increased by two every time we've bombed somebody close to Saddam? Will the next target be hit by 8?

I read somewhere that we've been using smaller JDAMs of late, certainly 8 500 pounders, with slightly offset impact points, would be more effective, in most situtations, than 2 2000 pounders. Since JDAM is really a guidance kit, it can be adapted to different size bombs.

[nycgal]

Same father is a MUCH more likely situtation in that society.

That's true, but in Saddam's case, his father had died and his mother had remarried.

[El Gato]

Low cost? I understand that each kit sells for over $20K(US).

Compared to the cost of other precision guided weapons, that's dirt cheap. Although laser guided bombs are about the same IIRC, and those are also kits that attach to regular "dumb bombs". Since the precision means less sorties, flight hours are really expensive, we probably save money by using them instead of dumb bombs. Not to mention putting fewer crews at risk, or the same crews fewer times.

[Gamecock]

$20K(US)

Lot cheaper than a cruise missle!

[skr]

Uh oh, I see a Hollywood movie in the future, with top stars vying for the chance to play Saddam and sons...and half-brothers and cousins and mistresses and Baghdad Bob and...

[El Gato]

Same father is a MUCH more likely situtation in that society.

But as I see by later posts this in an expection to the general rule.

[expatpat]

Yes. The mother has no Y chromosome, since she's female (XX). The father's Y chromosome is passed on unchanged to the sons (except, very rarely, there's a mutation). Therefore, both sons with the same Dad have the same Y as each other and their father.

[lilylangtree]

One down and how many more to go?

[Cultural Jihad]

Speaking of DNA, do you remember the time then-Resident Clinton visited an English pub in London, had a pint, and left? As he was leaving, the Secret Service reached over to his vacated table and took the used glass along with them.

[LowNslow]

The one who was Nancy Pelosi's step-brother.

[nycgal]

Interesting. I didn't know that they tested for the Y-chromosone when doing DNA testing.

[LikeLight]

Excellent line . . .

[texasbluebell]

Barzan Ibrahim, the half-brother who was just killed, according to this report, headed the Intelligence Service; Barzan's full brothers Watban and Sabawi were made Interior Minister and director of General Security.

Heard on Fox a while ago that Barzan was also some sort of ambassador or envoy based in Geneva, and it's thought that he was a conduit for all the billions that were looted from the Iraqi people. Apparently the US is now searching for acct numbers to get this money back to Iraq. (This was on Greta.)

[whadizit]

"Maybe just a teeny bit of an overkill!"

Did you see Saddam's yacht? It was floating freely down the river after having been hit with 16 bombs!!

[RasterMaster]

First reports were he got six Bunker Busters dropped on his house.

[bootless]

D'ya think Saddam might grow to hate us for this?

I don't think he's going to grow much at all now...

[shotspider]

That is hysterical!!!!!!

[JBCiejka]

Does anyone know about Saddam's daughter or his wife. I assume he had at least two daughters because of reports he had 2 son-in-laws killed. Any info on his wife or kids?

[expatpat]

I'm not at all sure that they do during 'routine' forensic testing. It is done in anthropological research -- e.g., the occasional mutations in the Y chromosome serve as markers which can be used to see how close two 'racial' groups are, and/or what the chronological relationship is.