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Debka sez : âSaddamâs "Dirty Dozen" Will be Allawiâs Hostagesâ
Funny in an ironic kind of way, if trueHowever, according to DEBKAfileâs counter-terror experts, there was more than meets the eye about the instant handover of the deposed president to his newly-sovereign successor and the foot-dragging on his trial. What Allawi did not tell the media is that he aims to keep Saddam and his circle under tight control and on tenterhooks, as hostages of the new regime. [...] Allawi, a secular Shiite, is therefore familiar with the inner workings of two intelligence services. [...] From the moment he assumed office, he became a prime target for assassins. His murder would provide a short cut for the Iraqi Baath and al Qaeda seeking to topple the Iraqi administration provisionally installed to assume sovereignty and shepherd Iraq to a democratic election. Allawi realized he needed some urgent life insurance, an ace in the hole for his survival. What he has done therefore is to gain control of Saddam and his top 11 regime officials as hostages to guarantee his life. The insurgents will be given to understand that violence against the prime minister will be met with the fast trial and execution of a member of Saddamâs âdirty dozen.â It will therefore be in Saddamâs vital interest to keep his successor in good health. As long as the insurgents attack American, British and Iraqi troops, the deposed dictator and his men will languish in prison without trial. This will give the new Iraqi regime a breathing space of âseveral monthsâ to get to grips with the mighty task of bringing security to the country in time for elections, without looking over his shoulder all the time for an assassin. This equation may not quite square with the vision of a great democratic Middle East as presented by US president George W. Bush to Istanbul University students on the shores of the Bosphorus Tuesday, while Awalli was talking in Baghdad about his plans for Saddam. However, given the savagery of the war raging in Iraq now and in the foreseeable future, the new prime ministerâs plan, geared to the top priority of keeping him alive, may be the more realistic. Posted by: Anonymous5089 2004-06-29 |
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