(New York Times) Saddam Hussein may be playing a significant role in coordinating and directing attacks by his loyalists against American forces in Iraq, senior American officials said Thursday, citing recent intelligence reports indicating that Hussein is acting as a catalyst or even a leader in the armed opposition. Hussein is believed to have met with Izzat Ibrahim, an Iraqi general who was the second highest ranking member of the Iraqi government at the time of the invasion, and who is described by American officials as playing a significant role in the insurgency. Ibrahim, No. 6 on the American most-wanted list, has been described by some Defense Department officials as having recently been in contact with members of Ansar al-Islam, a militant group that had been based in northern Iraq before the American-led invasion and which is linked to al-Qaeda.
2003-10-31 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive