Ace of Diamonds Nabbed [No. 4 on the most-wanted list]

FoxNews.com ^

[DadOfFive]

No story yet. Just headline.

[MEG33]

Saw that,too.I feel a kick in the gut when I hear we lost another soldier so I soak in every bit of good news.Ragtime Cowgirl and Texkat manage to spread the good word!

[Sci Fi Guy]

WHY THE HECK WAS THIS GUY STILL IN IRAQ? Stupid is as stupid does, I guess.

I suspect that they are running a guerrilla campaign to try to force the US to leave before an effective gov't can be installed. Then they could overthrow any new gov't and be back in power. Saddam has hidden hundreds of millions of dollars around the world, so these people may think they have the resources to do it.

[VRWC_minion]

and he is thought to have details of Iraq's alleged weapons programs

Good thing they only used alleged weapons to kill our troops with.

[ravingnutter]

Don't rain on my parade here

Nah, we'll just pee on your leg and tell you it is raining...LOL! Sorry...couldn't resist...

[SquirrelKing]

"the guy who walked saddams dog."

So THAT'S why he rated an 'ace'??

It was a sick bingo game. If Saddam's dog chose your lawn to crap on, you would have to scoop it. Then Saddam would take your daughters.

[yonif]

(IsraelNN.com) US forces in Iraq have announced the capture of Abid Hamid Mahmud Al Tikriti. Al Tikriti was Saddam Hussein’s personal secretary, national security advisor and senior bodyguard and featured as the ace of diamonds in the deck of ‘most wanted cards distributed to US soldiers in the Gulf. He was listed as 4th on the US list of the 55 Iraqis most wanted by the US before the war on Iraq preceded only by Saddam Hussein and his 2 sons.

[Seeking the truth]

His nose works for me, although, I would prefer to see another severed organ for DNA proof!

[Coop]

Eeewwwwwwwwwwww!!!

[oceanview]

if saddam took exile to Russia as I believe he did, there might be some hope that this fellow would feel "left behind" and might talk. Or he might know nothing. He would have to be awfully brave to stay behind and fight a guerilla war. Why didn't he tag along with Chemical Ali and get out? Interesting, very interesting....

[Seeking the truth]

I'm not known as "Mean Gene" or "Ming the Merciless" for nothing!

[steveegg]

A really big timer bites the dust.

Look for some key announcements in the next couple weeks that'll shut off another pair of lieberal whines.

[steveegg]

My hope is that al-Tikriti is carrying Hussein's severed nose in his breast pocket, thereby providing DNA proof of his demise.

I'll take the whole head (looks better on a pike than just the nose).

[steveegg]

I missed the ozone? Dam the river!

[steveegg]

Hey, shouldn't you be proofreading John Edwards' tax cut proposal. Hey boys and girls, a good ol' southun boy promising a middle-class tax cut! Why, oh why, does that sound so familiar?

Because the DemonRATs are counting on absolutely no memory and no comprehension of the saying, "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me," on the part of the sheeple.

[Coop]

Bump for the afternoon/evening crew.

[Mihalis]

Some creative interrogation is in order here.

[lasereye]

FoxNews reported that this al-Tikrit guy may be the one who had authority over the WMD programs

With all the intelligence we have we don't even know for sure who that is?

[Justice]

Captured Iraqi May Know Fate of Saddam
20 minutes ago Add Top Stories - AP to My Yahoo!

By JOHN J. LUMPKIN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - U.S. forces have captured Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s top aide and presidential secretary, a man who American officials believe knows the fate of the deposed Iraqi leader and has information about banned weapons.

Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti was No. 4 on the U.S. most-wanted list of Iraqi leaders, behind only Saddam and sons Qusai and Odai.

Mahmud has detailed knowledge of Saddam's personal security arrangements and Iraq (news - web sites)'s alleged chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs, U.S. officials said. He was ranked third in authority, they said, with more power than Odai, Saddam's erratic elder son.

American forces captured him Monday in Iraq, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command, the military organization running operations there. It provided no details on the operation that led to his capture, nor did it say precisely where he was taken.

Some officials wondered why he was not found with Saddam. While there has been no conclusive evidence that Saddam and his sons survived the war, one defense official said some intelligence analysts increasingly believe they are alive.

As Saddam's presidential secretary, Mahmud controlled access to the president and was one of the few people he is said to have trusted completely, U.S. officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Intelligence reports indicate that Mahmud determined which diplomats, media and even doctors could see Saddam. Only the two sons could see the Iraqi president without going through Mahmud.

Qusai, in particular, avoided befriending Mahmud so Saddam would not think they were conspiring against him, one defense official familiar with intelligence information said.

A distant cousin of Saddam, Mahmud, 46, was the ace of diamonds on the U.S. deck of cards portraying leaders of Saddam's government. Central Command called him Saddam's national security adviser and senior bodyguard.

Mahmud started his career as a noncommissioned officer in Saddam's personal guard and was eventually promoted to the rank of lieutenant general. In the 1990s, he was put in charge of several security portfolios, including responsibility over places Iraq has been accused of hiding weapons programs.

U.S. officials have said they want to try Mahmud for war crimes or crimes against humanity for activities associated with his senior position in the Iraqi government.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer (news - web sites) called it a "significant capture" but provided no details. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld refused to discuss the capture at a press conference.

The captured man's name is sometimes spelled Abed Hameed Hmoud. Like Saddam and many other former Iraqi leaders, he was from Tikrit, a city north of Baghdad.

Also Wednesday, the military announced it had begun raids near Tikrit.

American troops raided two farmhouses and found $8.5 million in American cash, 300 million to 400 million Iraqi dinars and an undetermined amount of British pounds and Euros, said Maj. Gen. Ray Odierno, commander of the Army's 4th Infantry Division. The troops also found more than $1 million worth of gems and jewels, he said.

The troops captured one of Saddam's bodyguards and up to 50 other people believed to be tied to Saddam's security or intelligence forces or paramilitary groups, Odierno told Pentagon (news - web sites) reporters in a video news conference from his headquarters in Tikrit.

"I believe over the next three to four days, you will hear much more about the number of senior Iraqi individuals we have detained here over the last couple of days," Odierno said. He did not mention Mahmud by name.

The U.S. troops also found Russian-made night-vision goggles and other military equipment.

Odierno said he did not know whether the cash was intended to pay bounties for attacks on American troops or to provide the Saddam loyalists with luxuries while they were in hiding.

___

Associated Press writer Matt Kelley contributed to this report.

[lasereye]

Presumably he is will be under sodium penathol, if he isn't already, in a matter of days

I heard that stuff doesn't really work that well.

[capydick]

The U.S. troops also found Russian-made night-vision goggles and other military equipment.

From Russia with love. W is biding his time and will slam the Ruskies at the right moment for giving military support to this regime.