Saddam's top aide got Belarus passports: U.S.

The Toronto Star ^ | Jun. 25, 2003 | DOUGLAS JEHL

[tdadams]

The senior lieutenant to Saddam Hussein who was detained in Iraq last week obtained passports from Belarus for himself and others, possibly including Saddam's sons, two U.S. government officials said yesterday.

The lieutenant, Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti, is suspected by U.S. officials of having obtained the passports in Syria, where, he told U.S. interrogators, he spent time, after the war, with Saddam's sons, Oday and Qusay, before being expelled by Syrian authorities.

[tdadams]

I thought this new information was particularly interesting in light of this post found on Free Republic, dated April 25, 2003:

Intelligence examines cargo flight from Baghdad to Belarus

And surprise, surprise, Syria was involved in helping the Iraqi leadership hide from justice and facillitated their escape. Kudos to Bush for putting the heat on Syria, despite the criticism from leftists. Once again, Bush is right, the critics were wrong.

[LarryM]

For all you Debka bashers: they had this story 2 months ago.

[SevenDaysInMay]

Stalinists hang togerther.

Now that's an idea.

One would think that governments' rule through terror would be a tough way to earn a living if not fearful. Being a guest of such a government would seem tense getaway.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

For all you Debka bashers: they had this story 2 months ago.

See the Stopped Clock Theory.

(Debka pushes plausible stories. Some of them do actually come true. They should consider hiring Jayson Blair.)

[Prodigal Son]

There was also this one from April 10-

Boss! Da Plane - Mystery plane escapes to Russia from Tikrit

*********** Meanwhile an informed source told the TEHRAN TIMES that an airplane took off secretly from Tikrit, the birthplace of Saddam Hussein, and flew to Russia which has been probably laden with some members of Saddam's family and other Baath Party officials.

That's all the details. The article was excerpted but the original at the source is now defunct.

[randita]

Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikrit is an accomplished liar, like everyone SH surrounded himself with. His stories are totally bogus, but as long as he plays our game and adds fodder to the myth that SH is still alive, we'll be glad to release his lies to the press.

As long as the world thinks SH is still alive, we have an excuse to go door to door in Iraq looking for him and, in the process, rooting out the remaining vestiges of Ba'ath loyalists.

[1rudeboy]

Just think, when Syria invades Israel, Debka will be right about that too.

[Wallaby]

pinging..........................