Who captured Sab'awi al-Tikriti?

[BrainGlutton]

2/27/05: News reports this morning said one of the 55 “most wanted” Iraqi officials from the Hussein regime, Saddam’s half-brother, Sab’awi Ibrahim al-Hasan al-Tikriti, had been captured by Iraqi and Coalition forces in a joint operation: http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/02/27/saddam.halfbrother/index.html

But reports from this afternoon state Sab’awi was captured by the Syrian government, and turned over to Iraq as a gesture of goodwill.

What’s the truth? More importantly, why the confusion?

And, will this “goodwill gesture” be enough to quell talk of invading Syria to stop its alleged support of the Iraqi insurgency?

[Tigers2B1]

… And why did Syria choose now to “capture” him —??

[Sam_Stone]

… And why did Syria choose now to “capture” him —??

Because the big boot is coming down on Syria. Hell, France is on board with Bush on this one. Syria is widely seen as having been responsible for the murder of the Lebanese moderate Rafiq Hariri last week. They’ve done that a lot, but this time it’s different. In the past, after a major assassination like that the Syrian people would calm down and allow themselves to be quietly ruled again. This time, they’re buzzing like hornets. And why? I’ll let Druze Leader Walid Jumblatt explain:

The leader of the Lebanese opposition, a sharp critic of Washington foreign policy, says he’s changed his view of the U.S. war in Iraq, seeing it now as a catalyst for democratic change across the Arab world.

Druze Muslim leader Walid Jumblatt, who is calling for an uprising against Lebanon’s Syrian occupiers, is almost sounding like a neoconservative, says Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, who interviewed him in Beirut Monday.

“It’s strange for me to say it, but this process of change has started because of the American invasion of Iraq,” Jumblatt told the Post columnist.

“I was cynical about Iraq,” Jumblatt said. “But when I saw the Iraqi people voting three weeks ago, 8 million of them, it was the start of a new Arab world.”

Jumblatt said this spark of democratic revolt is spreading.

“The Syrian people, the Egyptian people, all say that something is changing,” he said. “The Berlin Wall has fallen. We can see it.”

So Syria is taking heat from all sides. The threat of sanctions, military action, rebellion in Lebanon… Syria’s trying to take the heat off, and one way to do that was to cough up al-Tikriti. By the way, it wasn’t just Saddam’s half-brother Syria turned over - 29 former high-ranking Baathist officials were turned over with him.

This is a big deal, since it’s entirely possible that these men were partly responsible for running the insurgency from Syria - at least the ex-Ba’athist part of it. This could be a real blow to the insurgency, which already seems to be fading fast.

[BrainGlutton]

@Sam Stone

Syria’s trying to take the heat off, and one way to do that was to cough up al-Tikriti. By the way, it wasn’t just Saddam’s half-brother Syria turned over - 29 former high-ranking Baathist officials were turned over with him.

Cite?

And you’re suggesting the Syrians have been in a position to turn over al-Tikriti at any time. Is there any proof of that?

[Sam_Stone]

Saddam’s half brother handed over

Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan, who once served as Saddam’s intelligence chief, was nabbed along with 29 other fugitive members of the former dictator’s Baath Party in Hasakah in northeastern Syria, 30 miles from the Iraqi border, the officials said.

I thought it was common understanding that Syria was letting a large number of ex-Ba’athists from Iraq live pretty much freely within the country.

[flight]

It is a common assumption, not understanding (even if it is a pretty likely assumption). Also, why do you say that the insurgency is fading fast? Its not like there has been a major slowing of attacks has there? Heck there was one of, if not the, biggest one today already.

[flight]

Damn, that should be highest casualty bomb blast and I spelled it’s wrong. Sheesh.

[Sam_Stone]

Yeah, there’s always a huge attack right after you say something like “the insurgency is fading”. I based that statement on the reduction in number of attacks against coalition troops and my perception that the number of attacks around the country was diminishing. We’ll have to see if that bears out.

[BrainGlutton]

@Sam Stone

I thought it was common understanding that Syria was letting a large number of ex-Ba’athists from Iraq live pretty much freely within the country.

It seems plausible – Ba’athists sticking together – but is there any hard proof? Also, when you say “live pretty much freely,” do you mean they’re allowed to rent an apartment in Damascus and hunt for a job, or do you mean they’re allowed to set up camps in northeastern Syria and infiltrate insurgents across the border into Iraq?