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| Iraq |
| Baathist Remnants Locked in Power Struggle |
| 2003-12-24 |
| EFL: With Saddam Hussein under arrest, a power struggle has started within the remnants of his Baathist regime. At least three rival groups are positioning themselves to fight for the control of what they call âpopular resistanceâ (Al-Muqawemmah Al-Shaabaiyah). The three main groups involved in the power struggle are organized along tribal and clan lines covered by a veneer of ideology. It always comes back to the tribes. What is possibly the largest group is led by Col. Hani Abdul-Latif Al-Tilfah Al-Tikriti, a former head of the Secret Services Organization (SSO) and a cousin of Saddam. Hani and his younger brother Rafi are reportedly trying to maintain the cohesion of what is left of the Tikriti clan that provided Saddam with his principal support base. Although both brothers feature in the âplaying cardâ pack issued by the US-led coalition, there are indications that they are still able to operate with some freedom within the so-called âSunni Triangle.â Their group includes Sabaawi Ibrahim Al-Tikriti, a half-brother of Saddam, and Lt. Gen. Tahir Dalil Harboush, a Soviet-trained intelligence expert. The nominal head of the second group is Izzat Ibrahim Al-Duri, who was No. 2 in Saddamâs Revolutionary Command Council (RCC). This group has absorbed the remnants of the Baath partyâs secret military organization, of which Duri was leader since 1986. Some members of the Fedayeen Saddam Organization, led by the deposed dictatorâs eldest son, the late Uday Hussein, may have also rallied to the group. According to Iraqi sources the faction built around Duri is, in fact, led by Maj. Gen. Seyfallah Hassan Taha Al-Rawi, a former chief of staff of the presidential guard. The Rawi clan has a history of uneasy relations with Saddamâs Tikriti clan. Two cousins, Muhammad Zamam Abdul-Razzaq Al-Saadoun and Abdel-Baqi Abdelkarim Abdallah Al-Saadoun are believed to be the groupâs major contact men with Sunni Arab tribes, especially in regions close to the Syrian border. The third group, the civilian wing of the insurgency, presents itself as âthe true Baathâ. It is led by Muhsin Khudhair Al-Khafji who has just declared himself âPresident of the Iraqi branch of the pan-Arab Socialist Baath Partyâ. A former security officer, Al-Khafji who spent some time studying in France, is trying to provoke clashes between Iraqi civilians and the occupation forces in Baghdad and its Sunni suburbs. Last week Al-Khafji succeeded in setting up website, possibly with the help of Baathist elements in Algeria. He also seems to have restored contacts with pro-Saddam Baath party branches in Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Morocco. Al-Khafji has also maintained contacts with non-Iraqi, mostly Palestinian militant organizations that Saddam financed and supported over the years. "Someday, and that day may never come, Iâll call upon you to do a service for me" His contact man with some of those groups is one Khamis Sarhan Al-Muhammad, once head of the Baath in Karbala. The groupâs principal contact man with the tribes is believed to be Rashid Maan Kadhim who was last seen in Mosul in June. In a statement published Monday, Al-Khafji claimed that Saddamâs capture had been the result of âbetrayal by mercenariesâ. The statement claimed that Saddam remained secretary-general of the pan-Arab Baath party which has branches in 11 Arab countries. It is not clear who the âmercenariesâ mentioned in the statement are. But some Iraqis see a hint that the Al-Rawi clan members are the target of the accusation. This is because it was information provided by one of the Al-Rawis, captured by the US, that ostensibly led to the discovery of Saddamâs hide-out. Sounds reasonable The âtrue Baathâ group is trying to patch up relations with Syria, mostly through contacts in Europe. It wants Damascus to agree to a reunification of the Baathist movement, and throw its support behind a campaign to end the occupation of Iraq. Syria would love to regain control of the pan-Arab Baath movement, which it lost in the 1970s largely because of Saddamâs rising power in Baghdad. Syriaâs President Bashar Assad still claims to be the supreme leader of all branches of the Baath in the Arab world, including Iraq. But it is not clear whether he would wish to risk a confrontation with the US by actually taking the remnants of the Iraqi Baath into his tent. Go ahead, whatâs the worst that could happen? Oh, right... Differences among the three groups over strategy have become clearer in the past two weeks. The so-called âtrue Baathâ favors a strategy of urban guerrilla, by small units, plus civil disobedience. It hopes that this would force the coalition, or the transitional government to be installed next June, to seek some accommodation with it. It worked so well for the Palestinians. For its part, the Tikriti clan appears intent on organizing sporadic attacks on the coalition and killing as many American soldiers as possible. The "Blackhawk Down" strategy. The Al-Rawi clan is apparently trying to rally tribal elements, especially in areas controlled by the Duwailim and the Al-Shamar confederations. It believes that, by playing the tribal card, it would gain a place at the negotiating table over the shape of new Iraq. When playing tribal cards, you need to sit with your back to the wall. The situation is complicated by the presence of half a dozen other groups, some consisting almost entirely of non-Iraqi militants, who have their own agendas and pursue their own strategies. You got your Shiites, your Sunnis, al-Qeada, etc.. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #5 So Gawd! It aint like we're asking for much for this poor pilgrim.... hmmmmmmm.... Git 'em out of there! I stake this claim for me and Partner! Over there the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! |
| Posted by: Shipman 2003-12-24 7:09:51 PM |
| #4 And hell if that don't kill ya... ya got your Malaria, your Dengue fever, your IEDs, your falafal, your fleas... |
| Posted by: Shipman 2003-12-24 5:18:06 PM |
| #3 You got your Shiites, your Sunnis, al-Qeada, etc.. Yeah... played off against your Apache, your Creek, Navaho, your Irish, your Scot, and god help us your Commanche. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2003-12-24 5:04:59 PM |
| #2 Whether they be mafioso, drug cartels, or Ba'athists, it's just so much fun to watch them fight over the scraps when the Big Dog⢠goes down! |
| Posted by: Dar 2003-12-24 1:47:00 PM |
| #1 With Saddam Hussein under arrest, a power struggle has started within the remnants of his Baathist regime. Now, if we can get them to kill each other off.... |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-12-24 11:07:22 AM |