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Secretary of Republican Guard Possibly in Syria
Aired April 18, 2003 - 14:33 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the United States has captured another of the 55 most wanted Iraqis, but one of the key leaders may have escaped to Syria. CNN's senior Pentagon Correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, now joins us with the details -- hi, Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. Well, that's right. Just as late as yesterday, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs was complaining that Syria may be harboring top Iraqi leadership, and today we're hearing one of the names that may have slipped across the border into Syria. According to Pentagon sources, Kamal Mustafa Abdallah Sultan al-Tikriti (ph), who is the queen of clubs in the deck of cards distributed to U.S. troops, he is believed to have escaped from Iraq into Syria, according to Pentagon officials.
He is -- he is the secretary of the Republican Guard, and Special Republican Guard, and, of course, a cousin of Saddam Hussein. His brother is married to one of Saddam Hussein's daughters. The Pentagon says that in recent days, Syria has been exercising some more control over its borders. Syria claims, for instance, that it turned back several top Iraqi officials, including, they say, Barzan, who is one of the half-brothers who was arrested by U.S. forces earlier in the week. He apparently tried to get into Syria and was turned back.
Nevertheless, the U.S. believes Syria is holding some number of people, and there are some indications the Syrian government might be willing to turn some of those people over to the United States, depending on how relations between the two countries develop. Some indication that might happen when Colin Powell, the secretary of state, makes a visit to Damascus.
That visit, however, still technically unscheduled and could be weeks away. And, of course, the latest official to be captured by the United States was turned over to U.S. special operations troops by Kurdish authorities this morning, he is Samir abd al-Aziz al-Najm, a senior leader of the Baath Party, handed over to U.S. forces overnight by Iraqi Kurds, announced at the U.S. Central Command briefing this morning.
So, at this point, only four of the top 55 are in custody. The United States believes the majority of those 55 are still in Iraq, but they do think some number have slipped across the border into Syria -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, Jamie, for the captures that have been made, I mean, tell us about the intel process. It's quite a coalition effort. It is not just one organization that's tracking down these most wanted Iraqis, correct? MCINTYRE: Well, that is right, but of course, the most valuable information is coming from the Iraqi people themselves. That information is helping the United States figure out where a lot of these people are, and the latest intelligence indicates that a large number of the former Iraqi officials may be gathered in western, northwestern Iraq up near the Syrian border, apparently trying to either get into Syria, or try to keep their options open, and that's where the U.S. manhunt is focused right now -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Our Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired April 18, 2003 - 14:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the United States has captured another of the 55 most wanted Iraqis, but one of the key leaders may have escaped to Syria. CNN's senior Pentagon Correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, now joins us with the details -- hi, Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. Well, that's right. Just as late as yesterday, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs was complaining that Syria may be harboring top Iraqi leadership, and today we're hearing one of the names that may have slipped across the border into Syria. According to Pentagon sources, Kamal Mustafa Abdallah Sultan al-Tikriti (ph), who is the queen of clubs in the deck of cards distributed to U.S. troops, he is believed to have escaped from Iraq into Syria, according to Pentagon officials.
He is -- he is the secretary of the Republican Guard, and Special Republican Guard, and, of course, a cousin of Saddam Hussein. His brother is married to one of Saddam Hussein's daughters. The Pentagon says that in recent days, Syria has been exercising some more control over its borders. Syria claims, for instance, that it turned back several top Iraqi officials, including, they say, Barzan, who is one of the half-brothers who was arrested by U.S. forces earlier in the week. He apparently tried to get into Syria and was turned back.
Nevertheless, the U.S. believes Syria is holding some number of people, and there are some indications the Syrian government might be willing to turn some of those people over to the United States, depending on how relations between the two countries develop. Some indication that might happen when Colin Powell, the secretary of state, makes a visit to Damascus.
That visit, however, still technically unscheduled and could be weeks away. And, of course, the latest official to be captured by the United States was turned over to U.S. special operations troops by Kurdish authorities this morning, he is Samir abd al-Aziz al-Najm, a senior leader of the Baath Party, handed over to U.S. forces overnight by Iraqi Kurds, announced at the U.S. Central Command briefing this morning.
So, at this point, only four of the top 55 are in custody. The United States believes the majority of those 55 are still in Iraq, but they do think some number have slipped across the border into Syria -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, Jamie, for the captures that have been made, I mean, tell us about the intel process. It's quite a coalition effort. It is not just one organization that's tracking down these most wanted Iraqis, correct? MCINTYRE: Well, that is right, but of course, the most valuable information is coming from the Iraqi people themselves. That information is helping the United States figure out where a lot of these people are, and the latest intelligence indicates that a large number of the former Iraqi officials may be gathered in western, northwestern Iraq up near the Syrian border, apparently trying to either get into Syria, or try to keep their options open, and that's where the U.S. manhunt is focused right now -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Our Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
