| The following are excerpts from confession of Syrian intelligence officer Anas Ahmad Al-Issa and Iraqi terrorist Shihab Al-Sab'awi. Al-Iraqiya TV (Iraq) aired these confessions on February 23, 2005: Anas Ahmad Al-Issa: [The Iraqi terrorists] were trained for kidnapping and assassination. Interviewer: You trained them. Anas Ahmad Al-Issa: Yes. Interviewer: As soon as an order was given… Anas Ahmad Al-Issa: Yes. Interviewer: Immediately … Anas Ahmad Al-Issa: Yes. Interviewer: Tell me, how many operations were carried out in Iraq? Anas Ahmad Al-Issa: A lot, I don't know exactly how many. Interviewer: Yes, innumerable… 10-15 operations were carried out daily. Were these operations carried out only upon your orders, or did they initiate the operations and only then report it to you? Anas Ahmad Al-Issa: They carried them out and then reported to me. Interviewer: So you gave them a free hand? Anas Ahmad Al-Issa: Yes. We carried out booby-trap operations, explosions, kidnappings, and assassinations. Interviewer: What is Syria's interest in this? Anas Ahmad Al-Issa: To destroy Iraq. Interviewer: Where did you go train? Iraqi Terrorist, Shihab Al-Sab'awi: They organized another course for me, 'Abd Al-Wahhab, and for Muhannad – a course in Ladhqiya, Syria, after [Saddam's] regime fell. This course lasted one month. Interviewer: Who supervised this training? Iraqi Terrorist, Shihab Al-Sab'awi: There were Syrians there. Interviewer: What kind of Syrians? Iraqi Terrorist, Shihab Al-Sab'awi: Syrian intelligence. Interviewer: Syrian intelligence. Did you see Anas there, or maybe you didn't know him? Iraqi Terrorist, Shihab Al-Sab'awi: No, no, we didn't see Anas there. Interviewer: What kind of training did you receive? Iraqi Terrorist, Shihab Al-Sab'awi: More or less the same as we had in Islamabad, but it was more intensive. Interviewer: You mean, they tested the training you had? Iraqi Terrorist, Shihab Al-Sab'awi: Yes. In order to improve them. Interviewer: What instructions did you receive in this training camp? Iraqi Terrorist, Shihab Al-Sab'awi: We trained in preparing booby-traps, explosions, and kidnappings, so when we returned to Iraq we would carry them out against the American forces. Of course we were convinced that fighting the Americans was our duty. No Iraqi or Muslim can tolerate the occupation of his land by an infidel. This is why we were convinced. Interviewer: When we were chatting a couple of hours ago, you mentioned something that I would like you to repeat for my superiors. You said to me: We received training in slaughtering. Iraqi Terrorist, Shihab Al-Sab'awi: Yes. Interviewer: How the slaughtering must be done... What did the Syrian instructors use to slaughter in front of you in order to teach you how to slaughter? Iraqi Terrorist, Shihab Al-Sab'awi: Animals. We didn’t slaughter human beings in Syria. Interviewer: They didn't slaughter human beings, but the Syrian intelligence brought some animals to the camps? Iraqi Terrorist, Shihab Al-Sab'awi: Yes. Interviewer: And they told you to imagine these animals are human beings that are slaughtered in this manner? Iraqi Terrorist, Shihab Al-Sab'awi: Yes. Interviewer: You didn't know that this was a premeditated plan in order to carry out inhuman missions in Iraq? Iraqi Terrorist, Shihab Al-Sab'awi: At first we didn't imagine this is the purpose. Interviewer: How many slaughters were carried out under your supervision? Iraqi Terrorist, Shihab Al-Sab'awi: Around ten or eleven. Interviewer: These were carried out under your supervision? Iraqi Terrorist, Shihab Al-Sab'awi: Yes. Interviewer: You supervised whether they did it properly or not? Iraqi Terrorist, Shihab Al-Sab'awi: Yes. Interviewer: How many assassinations and shootings were carried out at your order? Iraqi Terrorist, Shihab Al-Sab'awi: Five or six. |
