IRAQ'S ANTHRAX STOCKPILE HIGHLIGHTED. At the outset
of the Gulf War a decade ago, Saddam Husseyn was
estimated to have 50 anthrax-filled bombs, and 10 missiles
loaded with anthrax warheads. According to a report in "The
Guardian" of 15 October, this was the fruit of a six-year
biological warfare program. A recent book by Paul Rogers,
professor of peace studies at Bradford University, "Losing
Control," refers to an American assessment that "the Iraqis
were likely to use weapons of mass destruction if the
survival of the regime was threatened."
The main source of information on Iraq's anthrax weapon
program was a series of UNSCOM inspection reports
issued between October 1995 and October 1997. In May
1989, "The Guardian" noted, large-scale anthrax production
began at a factory in Al-Hakam. UNSCOM estimated that the
Al-Hakam facility produced 8,425 liters of anthrax bacteria in
the course of 1990.
A parallel program started to design weapons that could
deliver the anthrax spores. Rockets, bombs, and spray
tanks were all tested between 1988 and 1990, prior to the
attack on Kuwait. Then the biological weapons program
was speeded up.
Other biological killers, the food-poisoning agent botulinum
and aflatoxin, a cancer-inducing toxin, reportedly were also
tested. After UNSCOM made these discoveries, Iraq
prevented further discoveries. Rogers says, "There were
credible reports Iraq was continuing work, probably in
underground research and development centers." However,
none of this proves the latest anthrax scares can be traced
to Iraq. (David Nissman)
IRAQ'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM HAMPERED BY SIZE. Michael
Eisenstadt of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy
says Baghdad is not yet capable of making a nuclear
weapon small enough to fit on their missiles, according to a
report in "Middle East Newsline" of 16 October. He adds that
Iraq's small surviving arsenal of Al-Husseyn missiles is of
uncertain reliability, and "a first generation weapon might
not be robust enough to withstand the rigors of missile
flight." He concludes that Iraq may seek other ways to
deliver a nuclear strike. And Iraq is not expected to be able
to produce fissile material for a bomb "for years to come."
As a result, he concludes that Baghdad will focus on
acquiring fissile material from abroad, which will probably
limit the size of any arsenal to one to three bombs. (David
Nissman)
IRAQ EXPECTS U.S. ATTACK WITH KURDISH, TURKMEN
COOPERATION. Iraqi authorities have taken precautionary
military measures inside the oil-rich city of Kirkuk in
anticipation of a U.S. military strike with Kurdish and
Turkmen cooperation, according to a report in London's
"Al-Hayat" of 15 October. An informed Kurdish source in
Al-Sulaymaniyah has told "Al-Hayat" that Iraqi military
authorities have completed the building of 65 large military
shelters northwest of Kirkuk. They have also started to
distribute light and medium weapons to the Arab tribes
living in the Saliyi area, northeast of the city, and have begun
crash course to train the newly armed men in the Saqazli
Camp near Kirkuk.
The source pointed out that a Special Guard unit executed
three officers inside the army's 1st Corps headquarters in
Kirkuk. One of the executed officers is said to be Staff Major
General Hamad Al-Jamali. Also, the director of the press
office in Al-Ta'mim province was arrested. In addition, five
military companies from the northern branch of the ruling
Ba'th Party have been formed; they have the task of
controlling the conditions inside the city in case of sudden
disturbances. These companies are directly linked to the
office of Qusay Saddam Husseyn. (David Nissman)
INC SAYS IRAQI AMBASSADOR LINKED TO WTC ATTACK
TACTIC. An official at the Iraqi National Congress (INC) in
Washington said the tactic for the attacks on the WTC and
the Pentagon was hatched by Faruq Hijazi, currently Iraq's
ambassador to Turkey and a former brigadier general in the
General Intelligence Directorate, and its current Brigadier
General Habib Ma'muri, according to an article in the
"Jerusalem Post" of 14 October. Ma'muri was in charge of
special operations from 1982-1990, and at the same time
Hijazi lectured on espionage, assassination, and hijacking
following the Gulf War.
The INC official said that "the plan of controlling a civilian
airplane with full fuel tanks, using teams of five and items
that can be easily carried aboard a plane, such as knives,
and then using the plane as a guided missile was hatched
by Ma'muri and Hijazi at Salman Pak some time before
1995." The "Jerusalem Post" adds that "Newsweek"
magazine says that Hijazi met suspected hijacker
Muhammad Atta in Prague last April. Hijazi last gained wide
press attention when he visited with Osama bin Laden in
Afghanistan in 1998. (David Nissman)
IRAQI FM ON OIC MEETING. Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji
Sabri Al-Hadithi has returned to Iraq following the meeting of
foreign ministers of the Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC) member states. He said in an interview
on Baghdad Television that the statement issued by the
meeting covered many of the elements that Iraq considered
necessary and that "the core of the correct Arab and Muslim
position is found in the Iraqi position.... One can summarize
these elements as follows: Rejection of any aggression
against any Arab or Muslim state under the pretext of fighting
terrorism. Second, the conferees stressed that the issue of
terrorism must be tackled within the framework of the United
Nations and according to international law." The OIC called
for an international conference to define terrorism and
search for ways to deal with it.
The correspondent for Baghdad Television said that "people
expected an Arab and Muslim position on the U.S.
aggression against Afghanistan. However, analysts
reached the conclusion that the conference did not live up to
expectations in this regard?" Al-Hadithi answered that the
OIC has 56 member states and "the majority of these have
certain ties and relations to the United States. Therefore, it
was not possible to achieve a clear denunciation of the U.S.
aggression against Afghanistan." (David Nissman)
SADDAM CONDEMNS THOSE WHO SUPPORT U.S.
ATTACKS ON AFGHANISTAN. Saddam Husseyn said on
Baghdad Television of 13 October that the rulers of
countries that "do not want to condemn the U.S. aggression
against Afghanistan will not gain strength from this weak
position. The flood has come. They can survive only by
returning to their peoples and the correct national
approach." And he added that peoples not side with
governments that are supported by the United States. He
said: "Violence and instability in the Arab homeland is the
result of subservience to the foreigner. It is also the result of
the governments' failure to face wrong with right." And he
warned, "All those who support wrong over right, do not feel
ashamed of wrong actions, and respond to the U.S. and
Zionist wishes will lose their people." (David Nissman)
CHINESE COMPANY TO INSTALL IRAQI MOBILE PHONE
NETWORK. The Iraqi State Communication and Phone
Company has signed contracts with the Chinese Sentik
company to install a cellular phone network. The company
is to install an expandable network with a capacity of 25,000
lines, according to the Baghdad newspaper "Al-Thawra" of
27 September. A source at the State Communications and
Phone Company said that a Chinese delegation had
recently visited Iraq to discuss the installation mechanism
of the mobile phone network. It then left for New York to
submit the contracts to the UN Committee 661. He
dismissed as baseless the reports that the French Alcatel
company would provide the mobile phones. Contracts with
Alcatel only include large-capacity telephone exchanges to
facilitate telephone communications. (David Nissman)
IRAQ REJECTS SHIPMENT OF PAKISTANI WHEAT. The
Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) shipped 98,000
pounds of super-fine red winter wheat to Iraq. Although one
ship was cleared for unloading, the grain loaded in two
hatches of the second ship was rejected. Later, Iraqi
inspectors rejected the quality of all wheat on the ship.
Similarly, Iraq has rejected all grain loaded on a third ship
due to the presence of sand. To resolve the issue, a
two-member delegation from the TCP and the Export
Promotion Bureau has left for Baghdad, according to "Asia
Pulse" of 15 October.
According to a report prepared by the Iraqi authorities, there
is 0.2 percent sand in the consignment. Rejection of the two
shiploads of wheat (62,000 pounds) was a blow to
Pakistan, said Masood Alam Rizvi, chairman of TCP, as it
had passed a preshipment inspection by Iraq's Inspectorate
Pakistan. Although Iraq has extended unconditionally the
validity of letters of credit by 90 days and without any penalty
to replace the rejected wheat, Rizvi said that unless Iraq
changed the terms and conditions for the clearance of the
consignment, Pakistan would not reship the wheat. (David
Nissman)
ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON GOVERNOR OF DIYALA.
According to "Iraq Press" of 15 October, travelers have
reported that unidentified gunmen fired at the convoy of a
senior official of the Iraqi government in central Iraq. They
said that the governor of Diyala, Fawzi Al-Kubaysi, was
ambushed on his way to attend a funeral in one of the
orchards on the outskirts of Ba'quba, north of Baghdad.
Troops cordoned off the area in search of the attackers, but
it is not known whether any arrests have been made.
Al-Kubaysi cut his trip short and returned to Ba'quba. He is
said to have escaped unharmed. "Iraq Press" says that the
authorities clamp a complete blackout on such incidents.
(David Nissman)
KIG LEADERSHIP TO DECIDE ON JUND AL-ISLAM
REUNIFICATION. A source close to the Islamic factions in
Iraqi Kurdistan said that on 13 October the Kurdistan
Islamic Group (KIG), led by Mulla Ali Bapir, convened a
special meeting in Ahmedawa to discuss the possibility of
the unification of Jund Al-Islam militants with the KIG,
according to KurdishMedia.com on 14 October. The meeting
follows upon a meeting between Mulla Ali Bapir and Shaykh
Muhammad Barzinji of the KIG with Jalal Talabani,
secretary-general of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)
where the issue of dissolving the Jund Al-Islam and joining
it with the KIG was discussed. The KIG was informed about
the PUK's views on the matter.
Analysts believe that this may be the last opportunity given
by the PUK to the KIG and Jund Al-Islam to settle their
problems; otherwise, PUK forces would start a final military
operation to wipe out the Jund Al-Islam militants in the
Biyara and Tawila areas.
It appears, though, that "reunification" may have been
initially an initiative by the Jund Al-Islam itself. The
Al-Sulaymaniyah newspaper "Hawlati" of 7 October pointed
out that after the military "fiasco" resulting from the PUK
attacks at the beginning of October, some of the Jund fighter
had left their lines and contacted and joined the Islamic
Group or the PUK. A PUK source informed "Hawlati" that
"eight of this group's gunmen have surrendered to the PUK
forces. Also more than 30 of its fighters have joined the
Islamic Group (KIG)." Basically, more than 180 Jund troops
have surrendered to PUK forces in Halabcha, and more
than 50 have joined the KIG.
As a consequence of the military defeat of the Jund Al-Islam
forces, the Jund has held several meetings with both the
KIG and the Islamic Movement. The Jund Al-Islam has been
insisting that the KIG and the Islamic Movement withdraw
from the regional government so that they would
unanimously announce an Islamic government in Halabcha
and Hawraman provinces. However, the Islamic Group has
so far refused this condition. (David Nissman)
KDP FEARS IRAQI MISSILE ATTACK. The Kurdistan
Democratic Party (KDP) has informed its senior officials that
the KDP foresees attacks against Iraq as part of the U.S.
campaign against terrorism and countries that harbor
terrorists, reports KurdishMedia.com on 13 October. The
KDP feels that in the events of any American strikes, Iraq
may retaliate by attacking the Kurdish region inside the 36th
parallel. The KDP informed its senior officials that any attack
by Iraq would probably be with missiles. KDP officials were
requested to take the necessary precautions to confront any
such event. (David Nissman)
KURDISH DELEGATION MEETS WITH U.S. OFFICIALS. A
joint delegation of both the KDP and the PUK met with U.S.
officials last week, according to "The Kurdistan Observer" of
14 October. Barham Salih, the prime minister of the
PUK-controlled region of the Kurdistan Regional
Government (KRG), and Hoshyar Zebari, principle KDP
officer for international relations, held several meetings with
White House and State Department officials. They
discussed the latest developments in Kurdistan.
The U.S. officials told the Kurdish delegation that although
the United States is focusing on the war on terrorism, it is
monitoring the situation in Kurdistan and Iraq very closely.
The American officials reaffirmed their pledge to protect the
Kurdish region from any aggression, and continued support
for the principle of a 13 percent share of the oil-for-food
program to be allocated to the region. (David Nissman)
IRAQ OCCUPIES 30 VILLAGES IN KURDISH BORDER
REGION. A KDP source told the London-based Arabic
newspaper "Al-Sharq Al-Awsat" on 12 October that Iraqi
forces had moved into several areas under control of the
Kurds in Iraqi Kurdistan, reported "The Kurdistan Observer"
on 15 October. The source said that Saddam's forces
occupied the village of Sadawa, located 17 kilometers
southwest of Irbil, and relocated 30 families of Arab origin
into the village.
The source also pointed out that the Iraqi government has
forced the population of as many as 30 villages to leave
their homes as they faced repeated bombardment by Iraqi
artillery. Subsequently, Arab tribes were moved in by Iraqi
forces as part of Iraq's ethnic cleansing policy.
In addition, KurdishMedia.com of 15 October reports in
Makhmur, near Mosul, the security apparatus has ordered
that all shops and public places in the city must change
their names to Arabic ones. This order also includes
graves. The security apparatus has formed a committee to
delete all Kurdish writings and dates on the graves, and
rewriting the gravestones in Arabic. (David Nissman)
IRAQI ARCHEOLOGISTS FIND ANCIENT ASSYRIAN CITY.
Iraqi archeologists believe they have located the Assyrian
town of Belato, which is believed to be one of the sources of
the architectural legacy of the Assyrian empire, according to
"Iraq Press" of 14 October. The discovery is certain to fill
many gaps in the ancient history of Mesopotamia.
Belato is situated on a promontory overlooking the Tigris
River. It is located 45 kilometers west of the Assyrian capital
of Nineveh, whose ruins are located within the city of Mosul,
400 kilometers north of Baghdad. The find is the most
significant since Western teams halted their excavations in
Iraq at the outbreak of the Gulf War.
Assyrian monarchs boasted of adorning their palaces and
temples with marble statues and reliefs from Belato.
Assyrian sources dating from Belato's period mention that
the winged bulls were carved in Belato and transported via
dinghies to construction sites in Ashur, Nineveh, and
Nimrud. The type of local marble in the Belato quarries is
identical to that found and the slabs, reliefs and sculptures
found in Assyrian cities and temples, the archeologists
said. The Assyrian empire collapsed some 3,000 years
ago. (David Nissman)