Arab diplomatic sources in Amman are saying the Bush administration has prepared a list of 13 Iraqi "war criminals" including Saddam, his two sons and other top Iraqi officials. The sources said the 13 were to be referred to a criminal court if arrested alive on charges of committing war crimes against thousands of Iraqi Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds during the 1991 popular uprising. The list includes Ali Hassan al Majeed, Saddam's cousin and member of the Revolutionary Command Council; Deputy President Izzat Ibrahim al Douri; Deputy Prime Minister Taha Yassin Ramadan; former Prime Minister Mohammed Hamza al Zubeidi; Saddam's private secretary Abed Hammoud al Takriti; intelligence chief Taher Jalil Habboush al Takriti; head of General Security Hani Abdel Latif Talfah al Takriti; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Military Industry Abel Tawwab Mulla Hwaish; former Oil Minister Amir Mohammed Rasheed al Obeidi (see below); and Iyad Fteih Khalifa al Rawi, chief of Staff of "Saddam's Guerrillas" unit. Some top officials were not included in the list -- notably Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz.
Didn't make it to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. Don't worry, we'll find room somehow.
There are interesting reshuffles taking place in Baghdad anyway. Iraq's veteran oil minister, Gen. Amir Muhammad Rasheed (who used to run Iraq's weapons programs until given the oil portfolio in 1995) has been retired by a decree signed by Saddam Hussein. His replacement is Ba'ath party official Samir Abdulaziz Al Najm. Informed sources say Saddam wanted General Rasheed out of the way before the U.N. inspectors could get to him, or to his wife, Dr. Rihab Taha, whose nickname is "Dr. Germ." The U.N. inspectors would definitely like to ask about her research work in weaponizing botulism and anthrax.
If the U.N. inspectors ask to see them, and Saddam sez "Who?", can we start bombing? Huh, can we, pretty please? |