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Pentagon Calling Hijazi an Important Catch
Aired April 25, 2003 - 14:01 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Faruk Hijazi isn't on Central Command's most wanted list, but he is considered a prize catch. The former chief of operations for Iraq's intelligence service now in U.S. custody. Officials say he might have been behind a plot to kill former President George Bush in 1993.
CNN's Kathleen Koch joining us from Washington with more on all this. She's at the Pentagon.
Hello -- Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles.
Well, they are concerned about -- that he may prove that Iraq did have links to terrorist groups, because back in 1998 he flew to Afghanistan where he reportedly met with Osama bin Laden.
Also, very interesting how he was apprehended. Syria has been accused by the United States of providing safe haven to some members of the Iraqi regime. However, in this case, apparently Hijazi flew to Syria, asked if he could stay in Syria, and was denied permission.
But it's not clear if the Syrian government officially expelled him, but somehow he ended up back in Iraq, and that's where U.S. officials got their hands on him.
Now, this comes right on the heels of the apprehension or the surrender, actually, of the former Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, same day, on Thursday. Also a very, very important figure.
And the defense secretary today at the briefing talked about the importance of these regime officials who are turning themselves over in increasing numbers and being captured and coming in to U.S. coalition hands.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Yesterday, of course, the former deputy prime minister and confidant of Saddam Hussein, Tariq Aziz, was taken into custody.
We now have I believe 12 of the 55 most wanted officials in custody as well as a number of other officials who were not on that original list of 55. Most are being apprehended with the help of ordinary Iraqis. I expect that with the help of the Iraqi people, many more will be captured in the days ahead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: Perhaps the most compelling statement from today's briefing, though, was Secretary Rumsfeld putting Iran on notice not to interfere in Iraq's journey toward democracy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUMSFELD: This much is certain: a vocal minority clamoring to transform Iraq in Iran's image will not be permitted to do so. We will not allow the Iraqi people's democratic transition to be hijacked by those who might wish to install another form of dictatorship.
Our policy in Iraq is simple. It is to stay as long as necessary to finish our work and then to leave Iraq to the Iraqi people as soon as that work is done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: And regarding these regime leaders who are increasingly in coalition custody, there is no word precisely where they're being held, but Secretary Rumsfeld did say today that the hard cases are being held separately from the other POW's -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Kathleen, the Pentagon also released some evidence about how the Iraqi regime was concealing some of its intelligence gathering apparatus. Tell us a little bit about that.
KOCH: Well, just in other news. Extraordinary pictures that the Pentagon brings out on a regular basis.
You'll recall that during the actual fighting, sometimes the coalition would discover a tank parked next or with a school or next to a mosque. Well, in this case, some officials at an Iraqi hospital approached U.S. forces and said here, come take a look at this van, this what looked like an ambulance by all outside appearances. It was marked with a red crescent, which is, again, the Iraqi Red Cross.
But when they opened it up, inside it was not full of medical equipment but radio devices, listening devices, and the Pentagon said obviously an example of the extent to which the Iraqi regime was willing to go to conceal their military hardware, conceal any intelligence gathering devices, and often at risk to their very own population -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Kathleen Koch at the Pentagon, thank you very much.
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 25, 2003 - 14:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Faruk Hijazi isn't on Central Command's most wanted list, but he is considered a prize catch. The former chief of operations for Iraq's intelligence service now in U.S. custody. Officials say he might have been behind a plot to kill former President George Bush in 1993.
CNN's Kathleen Koch joining us from Washington with more on all this. She's at the Pentagon.
Hello -- Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles.
Well, they are concerned about -- that he may prove that Iraq did have links to terrorist groups, because back in 1998 he flew to Afghanistan where he reportedly met with Osama bin Laden.
Also, very interesting how he was apprehended. Syria has been accused by the United States of providing safe haven to some members of the Iraqi regime. However, in this case, apparently Hijazi flew to Syria, asked if he could stay in Syria, and was denied permission.
But it's not clear if the Syrian government officially expelled him, but somehow he ended up back in Iraq, and that's where U.S. officials got their hands on him.
Now, this comes right on the heels of the apprehension or the surrender, actually, of the former Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, same day, on Thursday. Also a very, very important figure.
And the defense secretary today at the briefing talked about the importance of these regime officials who are turning themselves over in increasing numbers and being captured and coming in to U.S. coalition hands.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Yesterday, of course, the former deputy prime minister and confidant of Saddam Hussein, Tariq Aziz, was taken into custody.
We now have I believe 12 of the 55 most wanted officials in custody as well as a number of other officials who were not on that original list of 55. Most are being apprehended with the help of ordinary Iraqis. I expect that with the help of the Iraqi people, many more will be captured in the days ahead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: Perhaps the most compelling statement from today's briefing, though, was Secretary Rumsfeld putting Iran on notice not to interfere in Iraq's journey toward democracy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUMSFELD: This much is certain: a vocal minority clamoring to transform Iraq in Iran's image will not be permitted to do so. We will not allow the Iraqi people's democratic transition to be hijacked by those who might wish to install another form of dictatorship.
Our policy in Iraq is simple. It is to stay as long as necessary to finish our work and then to leave Iraq to the Iraqi people as soon as that work is done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: And regarding these regime leaders who are increasingly in coalition custody, there is no word precisely where they're being held, but Secretary Rumsfeld did say today that the hard cases are being held separately from the other POW's -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Kathleen, the Pentagon also released some evidence about how the Iraqi regime was concealing some of its intelligence gathering apparatus. Tell us a little bit about that.
KOCH: Well, just in other news. Extraordinary pictures that the Pentagon brings out on a regular basis.
You'll recall that during the actual fighting, sometimes the coalition would discover a tank parked next or with a school or next to a mosque. Well, in this case, some officials at an Iraqi hospital approached U.S. forces and said here, come take a look at this van, this what looked like an ambulance by all outside appearances. It was marked with a red crescent, which is, again, the Iraqi Red Cross.
But when they opened it up, inside it was not full of medical equipment but radio devices, listening devices, and the Pentagon said obviously an example of the extent to which the Iraqi regime was willing to go to conceal their military hardware, conceal any intelligence gathering devices, and often at risk to their very own population -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Kathleen Koch at the Pentagon, thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
