Posted on 06/19/2003 9:49:56 PM PDT by JohnHuang2
NEWSMAKER-Saddam's right-hand man faces tough questioning
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The latest prisoner of the United States in Iraq may not be Saddam Hussein or one of his sons, but he's the next best thing.
Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti could often be seen by Saddam's side. When he wasn't, he was likely to be running the president's office, vetting who got access to him, protecting his boss or organising Iraq's repressive security apparatus.
Mahmud was number four on the U.S. military's target list behind Saddam and sons Qusay and Uday. But some analysts say his place in the related U.S. "most wanted" deck of cards better shows his power -- ace of diamonds, right beside Saddam.
Awaiting him now, after his detention Monday, is tough interrogation -- where is Saddam, where are his equally elusive weapons? -- and a probable war crimes trial that could lead to execution.
Mahmud was Saddam's personal secretary and senior bodyguard, national security adviser, distant cousin and fiercely loyal friend. He may prove a tough nut for the Americans to crack.
"There's not much they can offer him beyond a stay of execution," said Toby Dodge, an Iraq expert at Britain's Warwick University.
Dodge said Mahmud, 32nd out of 55 wanted leaders to be caught, was a childhood friend of Saddam and "his only true confidant" through three decades in power.
"He is a suave guy, a very polished actor, very smart, very trusted and at the hub of the most brutal regime in the world," Dodge added.
"Mahmud is regarded by some as the real number two figure," the British government said in a report ahead of the war.
"He controls all access to Saddam -- possibly with the exception of Qusay and Uday Hussein -- and has the ability to override government decisions."
SECURITY OVERLORD
Mahmud's powerful secretariat oversaw the Special Security Organization assigned to protect Saddam and his family. He is widely reported to have devoted much of his time watching other military and security units for signs of disloyalty.
The Middle East Review of International Affairs said all defense, security and intelligence matters were channelled through his 100-strong unit before reaching Saddam himself.
"Mahmud, along with Qusay ... led the efforts to conceal Iraq's programs for developing missiles and weapons of mass destruction," the journal said, though other experts disagreed.
U.S. officials are so far silent about how they got Mahmud, or where, fueling speculation over whether they are really closing the net on Saddam, who disappeared after Baghdad fell on April 9.
Some experts think he was caught in the Tikrit area north of Baghdad -- home of Saddam and his powerful clan, many of whom were in the leadership and carried the al-Tikriti name.
They suggest his capture was linked to a U.S. raid two days later on two farmhouses near Tikrit that netted up to 50 former Special Republican Guard and security force members.
Some analysts think the Americans tracked Mahmud down -- a sign their often poor intelligence might be improving -- others that they stumbled across him, or that he was betrayed.
Mustafa Alani, an Iraqi fellow of London's Royal United Services Institute, said that despite looming war crimes charges, Mahmud probably surrendered.
"These guys faces' are known by Iraqis so he can't really escape," he told Reuters.
Asked if Mahmud would cooperate, Alani said:
"I don't think he will have any choice: release him and he will be dead in five minutes."
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