22 April 2003
Two More of Former Iraqi Regime's "Top 55" Caught, Bringing Total to 8
(U.S. Central Command report, April 22: Operations in Iraq) (590) By David Anthony Denny Washington File Staff Writer Washington -- A spokesman for the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed April 22 that two more high-ranking members of Saddam Hussein's former Iraqi regime have been apprehended over the last two days by coalition forces. The two are Jamal Mustafa Abdullah Sultan al-Tikriti, who was the deputy chief of the tribal affairs office, and Mohammed Hamza al-Zubeidi, a Ba'ath Party commander and a former deputy prime minister in the Saddam Hussein regime, according to U.S. Army Brigadier General Vincent Brooks. Briefing the media at CENTCOM headquarters near Doha, Qatar, Brooks said the coalition has now taken into custody 8 of the "top 55" members of Saddam's regime that are being sought. On another topic, Brooks confirmed that a cease-fire is currently in effect with members of the People's Mujaheddin, an alias for the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK), one of 34 groups listed as Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations by the U.S. Department of State. He said there have been "encounters of various sorts" with the group in Iraq, including "targeting them with lethal fire." Coalition special operations forces began negotiations with the group, Brooks said. "At this point, a cease-fire is in effect, and some of the People's Mujaheddin have moved into what can best be described as assembly areas. They do have combat equipment, but [are] in a non-combat formation," Brooks said. The situation "is unfolding at this time, and we still have work to do to bring that all to a closure, but it is in fact an ongoing operation," he said. Other topics discussed at the briefing included: -- Coalition forces took small arms fire near Mosul and at an airfield just west of it. A small, disorganized force was repelled and retreated before any members could be captured, Brooks said. -- Fifth Corps forces took over all of Baghdad, filling into the areas vacated by the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. -- Third Infantry Division forces discovered a cache of more than $600 million in U.S. $100 bills behind a false wall during an action to stop looting, Brooks said. The money was moved to a secure location to be counted and examined. -- Coalition forces continue to be guided to caches of explosive devices, such as vests filled with explosives and coffee tables rigged with explosives. Brooks said the discoveries reinforce "the need for deliberate work to root out the terrorists that are still present in Iraq." The coalition continues to be concerned about possible suicide attacks, he said. -- The pilgrimage of Shiite Muslims, long forbidden by Saddam Hussein, continues and has traveled from An-Najaf to Karbala, Brooks said. -- The coalition continues efforts to restore services, including food, medical supplies and facilities, telecommunications, water, electricity and the oil industry, Brooks said. Iraq's trained oil industry workers are returning to their jobs, he said. Warehoused medical equipment and supplies, including electricity generators, continue to be discovered and put to use. -- Members of the Iraqi National Congress played a useful role in the handover of Jamal Mustafa, Brooks said. -- Hundreds of sites where it is suspected that chemical or biological weapons were worked on or stored have begun to be investigated, Brooks said. For every planned investigation, local Iraqis give coalition forces information concerning two or three other suspected sites, he said, adding that all of these sites require detailed examination. (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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