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Former Iraqi Spy Chief Taken Into Custody
EFLFarouk Hijazi, an Iraqi diplomat who once helped run Saddam Hussein's intelligence service, has been captured by U.S. forces, American officials said Friday. The announcement came a day after the surrender of Saddam loyalist Tariq Aziz, for many years the most public face of the regime. Hijazi, who most recently served as Iraq's ambassador to Tunisia, was once a senior official in the Mukhabarat, Saddam's intelligence service. In December 1998, while ambassador to Turkey, Hijazi traveled to Afghanistan and reportedly met with Osama bin Laden, according to U.S officials who cite the meeting as Iraqi link to al-Qaida. Iraqi officials denied Hijazi met with bin Laden. Aziz was undergoing questioning Friday, a day after surrendering to U.S. forces. U.S. officials hope both Aziz and Hijazi may have information about the fate of Saddam and the status of any illegal weapons programs. Another one in the bag. Posted by: Steve 2003-04-25 |
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