Posted on 11/19/2004 1:47:32 PM PST by ganeshpuri89
Aljazeera's bureau chief in Baghdad, Hamid Hadeed, has rejected a report in a pan-Arab daily that said he is related to an alleged al-Zarqawi associate who is supposed to have led the battle in Falluja against US forces.The newspaper Ash-Sharq al-Awsat, which is published from London, ran a story on 19 November saying Omar Hadeed, whom it identified as an associate of the Jordanian-born fugitive Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, is a brother of Hamid Hadeed.
On Saturday Hamid Hadeed firmly denied the connection, saying there is no direct relation between him and Omar Hadeed.
For its part, Aljazeera regretted the fact that Ash-Sharq al-Awsat published a story breaching the fundamentals of recognised professional norms that require the verification of a claim, and thereby possibly jeopardising the safety and security of a fellow journalist.
Aljazeera has also questioned the motive behind the running of the story, and said it reserved the right to pursue the issue legally wherever the jurisdiction may lie.
Iraqi authorities, citing national security concerns, moved to close Aljazeera's bureau in Baghdad on 7 August for an initial period of one month.
The closure order remains in force as of today.
Intelligence sources
An AFP report quoted Ash-Sharq al-Awsat as describing Omar Hadeed as a former bodyguard of Saddam Hussein and top aide to al-Zarqawi.
Quoting Iraqi intelligence sources, the report said Omar Hadeed "led the [Falluja] battle and is the main aide of … al-Zarqawi".
The daily said he was a bodyguard of the deposed Iraqi president some 10 years ago before travelling to Pakistan and "joining al-Qaida and training in an al-Qaida camp in Afghanistan".
Hadeed returned to Iraq shortly before the US-led war on Iraq in March last year, the newspaper added.
Some 10,000 US troops, backed by 2,000 Iraqi forces, launched an assault on Falluja, west of the capital, on November 8 to take control of the rebel enclave. According to the US military, some 1200 fighters have been killed.
Jazeera/Omar Hadid ping.
Sure... I believe all the people over at that rag. /sarcasm
They are in league with OBL and all other America hating terrorists.
Oh wait, I mean another network.
Time to do some research.
The closure order remains in force as of today.
I guess informing the U.S. public about this tidbit of info would discredit a MSM source.(pathetic)
Incitement is an artform at Al Jazeera, good for the Iraqis.
Omar Hadied is one of important deputies for Zarqawi who led the war in Falluja. He was a member of the Saddam special guards before going to join Usama Bin Laden in Afghanistan. His brother was the chairman of the Al Jazeera TV station in Baghdad before its closure! Interesting isn't it?! A connection between Saddam and Qaeda is found! More than that the relation between Qaeda, Saddam and Al Jazeera, do we need evidence?!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.