(National Review) Amir Taheri - With Saddam Hussein under arrest, at least three rival groups are positioning themselves to fight for control of what they call "popular resistance." The largest group is led by Col. Hani Abdul-Latif al-Tikriti, a former head of the Secret Services Organization (SSO) and a cousin of Saddam, who is reportedly trying to maintain the cohesion of what is left of the Tikriti clan that provided Saddam with his principal support base for 30 years. The nominal head of the second group is Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri, who was number-two in Saddam's Revolutionary Command Council. The third group is led by Muhsin Khudhair al-Khafji, who has just declared himself president of the Iraqi section of the pan-Arab Socialist Baath party. According to Iraqi sources, there are enough arms in secret locations to supply the needs of the insurgency for months, if not years.
2004-01-02 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive