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Rebels Said to Find Qaddafi Tie in Plot Against Iraq
When Tripoli, the Libyan capital, fell, rebel fighters found secret intelligence documents linking Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi to a plot by former members of Saddam Husseins military and Baath Party to overthrow the Iraqi government, according to an Iraqi official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.The details of the plot were revealed to Iraqs prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, this month in a surprise visit to Baghdad by Libyas interim leader, Mahmoud Jibril, said the official, who demanded anonymity because the matter was supposed to be confidential. This week, Iraqi security forces responded, arresting more than 200 suspects in connection with the plot. The looted ruins of Colonel Qaddafis intelligence headquarters in Tripoli have revealed many secrets. The trove has uncovered ties between the Libyan strongman and the C.I.A. and shed light on negotiations between Chinese arms dealers and Libyan officials during the course of the uprising, an embarrassment to officials in Beijing. But here in Iraq, the records of Colonel Qaddafis plot had special resonance. The Iraqi news media celebrated Colonel Qaddafis death last week. But the news that the colonel may have been backing a Baathist-led coup added another layer of intrigue just as Iraq was digesting the weekend news that President Obama had announced that the last American soldier would leave by the end of the year. Some suggested that it was a fiction spread only to allow for the arrests of Sunnis, a reflection of the fragile sectarian tensions. Posted by: Sherry 2011-10-27 |
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