Saddam's Half-Brother Captured
Joe Gandelman
A new trophy (and possible rich source of info on the insurgency) is now in the hands of the Iraqi government: Sadaam Hussein's half-brother.
And they way they got him is no coincidence:
CAIRO, Egypt - Iraqi officials said Sunday that Syrian authorities had captured Saddam Hussein's half-brother and 29 other officials of the deposed dictator's Baath Party in Syria and handed them over to Iraq in an apparent goodwill gesture.
Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan, a former Saddam adviser suspected of financing insurgents after U.S. troops ousted Saddam, was captured in Hasakah in northeastern Syria near the Iraqi border, two senior Iraqi officials told The Associated Press by telephone on condition of anonymity. Hasakah is about 30 miles from the Iraqi border.
They added that al-Hassan was captured and handed over to Iraqi authorities along with 29 other members of Saddam's collapsed Baath Party, whose Syrian branch has been in power in Damascus since 1963.
So this is a BIG haul. And if you're asking yourself "What's the big deal?" it's this:
The Iraqi officials did not specify when al-Hassan was captured, only saying he was detained following the Feb. 14 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Beirut, Lebanon, in a blast that killed 16 others.
Syria has come under intense scrutiny following Hariri's death, with many in Lebanon blaming Damascus and Beirut's pro-Syrian government for the killing. The United States and France also have called on Damascus to withdraw 15,000 Syrian troops from Lebanon.
Washington has long accused Syria of harboring and aiding former members of Saddam's toppled Baathist regime suspected of involvement in the deadly insurgency against U.S.-led forces in Iraq.
"The capture appeared to be a goodwill gesture by the Syrians to show that they are cooperating," one Iraqi official told the AP.
Syria has been under the microscope since the Lebanon assassination. The U.S. called home its ambassador, angry Lebanese held demonstrations, and many European countries condemned Syria. This shows that all these pressure together led to some kind of action in Syria. Is it significant? Or too little too late? Time will tell.
Notice that the Iraqi government press release is full of the usual guff about "We are tightening the noose around al-Zarqawi." Yeah. When have we heard that before? I'm praying that this last snarky bit will leave me with egg on my face. The sooner the better. Only time will tell.
It doesn’t mean the Syrians are going to surrender tomorrow, but it shows they’re worried – and that’s a good thing.
Family in the troika = Syrians
Infant = al Hassan
Wolves = Americans
Clearly the three biggest problem regimes in the region are Iran, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. For a variety of reasons I've always felt that excessive truculence toward the Saudis is a bad idea--mostly because, fairly or not, it would send the message that we are against the entire Islamic world. Rightly or wrongly, the fact that the Saudis hold Mecca and Medina makes overt hostility toward them a very tricky business. So despite some on the right's impatience, I think we basically have the right attitude toward the Saudies right now. Pressuring them for reforms over time seems best.
Syria and Iran, however....