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Kurdish militia capture Iraqi ex-vice president
Details of yesterdayâs arrest. EFL:Kurdish militiamen captured Iraqâs feared former vice president, Taha Yassin Ramadan, in a bloodless operation in this northern city Tuesday and turned him over to the U.S. military, marking one of the highest-profile arrests since most of ousted President Saddam Husseinâs leadership went underground after his government collapsed in April. Ramadan, once one of Saddamâs closest advisers, was seized with three guards soon after midnight from a two-story villa in the northern city of Mosul, where U.S. forces killed Saddamâs two eldest sons last month. After trying to flee through a back door, Ramadan surrendered peacefully, Kurdish officials said. "He wasnât expecting anyone," said Sadi Ahmed Pire, the local director of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, one of the two main Kurdish parties whose militiamen seized Ramadan. Did I mention I like the Kurds? Pire said Kurdish officials had been actively pursuing Ramadan for two weeks. He credited the break to a series of arrests of Ramadanâs aides over the previous 48 hours. The final arrest led to Ramadanâs private secretary, who divulged Ramadanâs exact whereabouts in an upscale neighborhood known as Wahda. "Iâll talk, Iâll talk, just put that thing away!" At 12:30 a.m., Kurdish militiamen brought an aide of Ramadanâs to the front door. Recognizing his voice, guards allowed him to enter, and about 15 militiamen rushed in, Pire said. Kurdish militiamen took Ramadan to their headquarters in Mosul and turned him over to the Armyâs 101st Airborne Division, which is stationed nearby. I really, really like the Kurds. Posted by: Steve 2003-08-20 |
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