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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Debka sez : âSaddamâs "Dirty Dozen" Will be Allawiâs Hostagesâ |
| 2004-06-29 |
| Funny in an ironic kind of way, if true However, 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 |
| #6 Not entirely nonsense. You are projecting US values into an Arab culture. That doesnt work. Politics over there is played hardball - and family style. These guys run everything like a bunch of Mafia families. Or at least thats the closest thing we have over here. They are, if anything, even more loyal, but even more vicious when crossed or when they decide to cross. These are grudges and truces that go back over generations. Know your target set - and this all of a sudden starts to be a bit less "nonsense". To see an example of how this works, look at the Baathists in Syria and what happened when the supported taking Soviet citizens hostage a few deacdes ago. They quickly surrendered the Soviet nationals when fingers and ears of family members started arriving at the "terrorists" family homes. I have no doubts the Al-Tikirit's and other families there are backing the Fedyaheen Saddam that are now operating as terrorists (and probably faking to be Islamicists). And you can safely bet that Al'lawi already has some of the other family members that have been very discreetly informed that they are regularly within the sights of Iraqi Government high powered rifles. And that such pictures have been given to the family elders, in addition to being shown to those in prison. Given those pictures along with the message [best mafia voice] "It would be a real shame if something happened to President Allawi, you never know who would be giving the orders to those guys with the rifles, could be the VP, you know, the former the Kurdsih peshmurga leader..." So you may see some changes - and if so, the foreign fighters (read IRANIANS) will be strung out - and eventually strung up by th same thugs who were helping them. And the Iraqis wouldn't bat an eye about Iranians being summarily killed - after all, there are few families that didnt lose a relative to the Iranians a couple decades ago. So not as farfetched once you have some context. The big thing here is how many "goodfellas" does Allawi have backing him up? |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2004-06-29 10:08:00 PM |
| #5 Nonsense meter pegged while reading this. |
| Posted by: sludj 2004-06-29 7:31:53 PM |
| #4 What's going on in Iraq now is savage? I'd consider it sneaky. |
| Posted by: Anonymous2U 2004-06-29 7:21:48 PM |
| #3 It does not make sense. Why would any Baathist want to see these guys freed ? They would just be competition for leadership. They are better off dead all around. |
| Posted by: buwaya 2004-06-29 5:13:57 PM |
| #2 someone give me water, the amount of salt this took was so massive. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2004-06-29 4:13:54 PM |
| #1 Bravo Allawi! |
| Posted by: Mark Espinola 2004-06-29 4:11:12 PM |