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Look at Ex-General Who Pentagon Believes is Mastermind Behind Attacks
Aired October 30, 2003 - 05:29 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: To Iraq now for more on the ex- general who the Pentagon believes is the mastermind behind many of the attacks against U.S. troops. His name is Izzat Ibrahim Al-Duri.
For the latest on this Iraqi commander, we take you live to our Ben Wedeman, who's in Baghdad this morning -- hello, Ben.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hello, Carol.
Well, the U.S. is talking about Izzat Ibrahim Al-Duri. He is number six on the most wanted list from the old regime. He was the vice chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council under Saddam and an old confidante of the Iraqi leader.
Now, according to reports out of the Pentagon, an interrogation of two members of Ansar al-Islam, an extremist Islamic group that was operating in northeastern Iraq, apparently have indicated that Izzat Ibrahim is one of the main players behind the Iraqi resistance, at least in the northern part of the country, and that he is in some way coordinating with Ansar al-Islam, which was one of the groups targeted during the American led war in Iraq.
Now, no information on the ground here in Iraq, in Baghdad, from coalition sources and officials about any possible link or even involvement of Izzat Ibrahim in the attacks against coalition forces.
Meanwhile, here in Baghdad, international organizations are reconsidering their presence here given the security situation. The International Committee of the Red Cross says it is sending all of its international staff out of the country, not necessarily permanently, they say, just for consultations with officials from their Geneva headquarters.
Now, they do have a local staff of 600 who, they say, will continue to carry out the organization's mission in the country. The United Nations is also considering pulling out more of its staff given the security situation. They will be going also for consultations outside of the country. However, they will be carrying on their normal activities in the northern part of the country, where there have been relatively few attacks. It's in the center and the south where there are problems -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Ben Wedeman reporting live from Baghdad this morning.
We want to get more insight now on the men the U.S. is hunting down in Iraq. Our senior international editor, David Clinch, joins us for more on Ibrahim and al-Duri.
DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes, Carol, good morning.
Well, actually, there are two aspects to the story that are very interesting this morning. They go to the heart of the whole question of who is behind these attacks that are happening in Iraq. They go to the heart of the question of whether there is now or was ever a connection between the Iraqi regime and Ansar al-Islam or al Qaeda or terrorist groups. And they also go to the heart of another question, and that is how we report stories that come to us from unnamed sources in Washington related to the Iraq story.
Let me sort of go through it one by one. Al-Duri, right hand man of Saddam Hussein, the only one other than Saddam Hussein not yet captured. Certainly they want to talk to him. Certainly they believe he may be behind at least the organization of Saddam loyalists and Baath Party people, perhaps behind these attacks. And when I say they, that is according to the U.S. military on the ground. They want to find him because he's still at large.
Now, the other source that we have to take into account is these unnamed sources in the administration, or the Pentagon in this case, who have told us that he is not only behind those attacks, but linked up with Ansar al-Islam. Well, again, as Ben has been saying on the ground, the people we are speaking to there, the U.S. military, the intelligence people we're speaking to there, are not really prepared to go that far yet. And, in fact, some of them are not prepared to go that far at all, not only about links with Ansar al-Islam, but about Al-Duri's role.
COSTELLO: And just to make it clear for people, Ansar al-Islam is connected to al Qaeda.
CLINCH: Right.
COSTELLO: And that may be a reason why the Pentagon wants to get this information out...
CLINCH: Well...
COSTELLO: ... that they might be connected.
CLINCH: Yes. I'm not going to say that. All I'm going to say is that it creates an interesting story, but it also creates a question and a problem for us when these reports come out from unsourced, unnamed officials in the Pentagon. We take them very seriously. We are looking into them. It absolutely is something that we are pursuing. But it also creates the problem that we need to counter that and contextualize that with what the people on the ground are telling us.
And right now the U.S. military on the ground is saying they're not prepared to go that far. They do want to talk to Al-Duri. They are interested in the idea and they are looking into the suggestion that Ansar al-Islam is back in Iraq. Now, their base in northern Iraq was effectively destroyed. Are they back? Are they involved in these? Are they connected to Al-Duri?
We're looking into all of those things. But I want to stress the fact that while these names are out there and these connections are being suggested, it's something we are still checking on and we're -- it is definitely something that the officials we're talking to are very divided on in terms of how far they're prepared to go. So...
COSTELLO: Very well explained.
CLINCH: Absolutely.
COSTELLO: All right...
CLINCH: Well, it's complicated, but we're trying to get further information.
COSTELLO: And we appreciate it.
Thank you, David.
CLINCH: OK.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Behind Attacks>
Aired October 30, 2003 - 05:29 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: To Iraq now for more on the ex- general who the Pentagon believes is the mastermind behind many of the attacks against U.S. troops. His name is Izzat Ibrahim Al-Duri.
For the latest on this Iraqi commander, we take you live to our Ben Wedeman, who's in Baghdad this morning -- hello, Ben.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hello, Carol.
Well, the U.S. is talking about Izzat Ibrahim Al-Duri. He is number six on the most wanted list from the old regime. He was the vice chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council under Saddam and an old confidante of the Iraqi leader.
Now, according to reports out of the Pentagon, an interrogation of two members of Ansar al-Islam, an extremist Islamic group that was operating in northeastern Iraq, apparently have indicated that Izzat Ibrahim is one of the main players behind the Iraqi resistance, at least in the northern part of the country, and that he is in some way coordinating with Ansar al-Islam, which was one of the groups targeted during the American led war in Iraq.
Now, no information on the ground here in Iraq, in Baghdad, from coalition sources and officials about any possible link or even involvement of Izzat Ibrahim in the attacks against coalition forces.
Meanwhile, here in Baghdad, international organizations are reconsidering their presence here given the security situation. The International Committee of the Red Cross says it is sending all of its international staff out of the country, not necessarily permanently, they say, just for consultations with officials from their Geneva headquarters.
Now, they do have a local staff of 600 who, they say, will continue to carry out the organization's mission in the country. The United Nations is also considering pulling out more of its staff given the security situation. They will be going also for consultations outside of the country. However, they will be carrying on their normal activities in the northern part of the country, where there have been relatively few attacks. It's in the center and the south where there are problems -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Ben Wedeman reporting live from Baghdad this morning.
We want to get more insight now on the men the U.S. is hunting down in Iraq. Our senior international editor, David Clinch, joins us for more on Ibrahim and al-Duri.
DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes, Carol, good morning.
Well, actually, there are two aspects to the story that are very interesting this morning. They go to the heart of the whole question of who is behind these attacks that are happening in Iraq. They go to the heart of the question of whether there is now or was ever a connection between the Iraqi regime and Ansar al-Islam or al Qaeda or terrorist groups. And they also go to the heart of another question, and that is how we report stories that come to us from unnamed sources in Washington related to the Iraq story.
Let me sort of go through it one by one. Al-Duri, right hand man of Saddam Hussein, the only one other than Saddam Hussein not yet captured. Certainly they want to talk to him. Certainly they believe he may be behind at least the organization of Saddam loyalists and Baath Party people, perhaps behind these attacks. And when I say they, that is according to the U.S. military on the ground. They want to find him because he's still at large.
Now, the other source that we have to take into account is these unnamed sources in the administration, or the Pentagon in this case, who have told us that he is not only behind those attacks, but linked up with Ansar al-Islam. Well, again, as Ben has been saying on the ground, the people we are speaking to there, the U.S. military, the intelligence people we're speaking to there, are not really prepared to go that far yet. And, in fact, some of them are not prepared to go that far at all, not only about links with Ansar al-Islam, but about Al-Duri's role.
COSTELLO: And just to make it clear for people, Ansar al-Islam is connected to al Qaeda.
CLINCH: Right.
COSTELLO: And that may be a reason why the Pentagon wants to get this information out...
CLINCH: Well...
COSTELLO: ... that they might be connected.
CLINCH: Yes. I'm not going to say that. All I'm going to say is that it creates an interesting story, but it also creates a question and a problem for us when these reports come out from unsourced, unnamed officials in the Pentagon. We take them very seriously. We are looking into them. It absolutely is something that we are pursuing. But it also creates the problem that we need to counter that and contextualize that with what the people on the ground are telling us.
And right now the U.S. military on the ground is saying they're not prepared to go that far. They do want to talk to Al-Duri. They are interested in the idea and they are looking into the suggestion that Ansar al-Islam is back in Iraq. Now, their base in northern Iraq was effectively destroyed. Are they back? Are they involved in these? Are they connected to Al-Duri?
We're looking into all of those things. But I want to stress the fact that while these names are out there and these connections are being suggested, it's something we are still checking on and we're -- it is definitely something that the officials we're talking to are very divided on in terms of how far they're prepared to go. So...
COSTELLO: Very well explained.
CLINCH: Absolutely.
COSTELLO: All right...
CLINCH: Well, it's complicated, but we're trying to get further information.
COSTELLO: And we appreciate it.
Thank you, David.
CLINCH: OK.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Behind Attacks>
