Hussein 'traitor' now a marked man

The Star ^ | July 28 2003

[RoboticMouse]

Hussein 'traitor' now a marked man

Mosul, Iraq - The tribal chief who owned the mansion where Saddam Hussein's sons died has been warned that revenge is on the way.

Whether they loved Saddam's regime or not, many residents of the northern city of Mosul view Nawaf al-Zaidan, the suspected informant, as a traitor for the sake of a $30-million (about R220-million) price tag on Uday and Qusay's heads.

"He's a traitor to his country and religion," said a shopkeeper across from Al-Zaidan's gutted home, destroyed in the long but one-sided battle between Saddam's sons and US forces on Tuesday.

"Nawaf and his son and the money he received will all end up in a grave," predicted the shopkeeper.

'The informer is considered a killer'

The Americans will not say if Al-Zaidan is the man who turned in Saddam's sons, but neither will they deny it.

Asked on Sunday about the fate of the informant, a top officer from the US Army's 101 Airborne Division in Mosul said: "We'll take care of our sources."

And Al-Zaidan could very well need protection.

Ashraf Khalid, 23, a restaurant owner, expressed hatred for Al-Zaidan and his family, including two brothers.

"The informer is considered a killer. Iraqis in general feel the killer must be killed," he said. "The brothers had full trust in Nawaf and he betrayed them."

'He who seeks refuge must be protected'

Another Mosul resident, a broker, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "The cousins of Uday and Qusay and Saddam are arranging to kill the (Al-Zaidan) family."

Even if they were not saddened that Saddam's sons were gone, many in Mosul felt it was for them, not the Americans, to dole out justice.

Most Iraqis wanted to deal with Saddam and his sons according to Iraqi principles, explained Mohammed Taher al-Abid Rabu, a member of the Mosul city council.

Yet Rabu also sees Al-Zaidan shirking of his responsibilities as an Arab, particularly the sheltering of two Muslims seeking aid, as a prime reason why he was labelled a traitor in this city.

"According to our Arab traditions and principles, he who seeks refuge must be protected," Rabu said.

A US marine was killed as troops approach the end of their bloodiest month in Iraq since hostilities were declared over.

Sunday's attack raised the number of dead soldiers to five in 24 hours, making the past week, with 14 deaths, the worst since US troops arrived in Baghdad on April 9.

A military spokesperson said a marine was killed and one wounded during a grenade attack in Al-Haswat, 30m south of Baghdad.

Four soldiers were killed on Saturday as violence climbed after the US coup of killing Qusay and Uday. The US military was hoping the death of Saddam's sons would demoralise insurgents and lead them to the former dictator himself.

This month's 27 deaths in guerrilla-style attacks accounted for more than half of the 49 killed since official combat was declared over on May 1. - Sapa-AFP

[smith288]

He wont be killed...

he will be living large in some Illinois upscale neighborhood with his kids riding bigwheels with other kids and celebrating the 4th of July.

oooor...he will just hate America and use her like he used the Husseins.

[dfwgator]

Hey, you just betrayed Uday and Qusay, what are you going to do now?

I'm going to Disneyland!

[kevao]

US$30 million buys a lot of protection.

[wideawake]

Like this guy wants to return to the 3rd World muckhole he was living in anyway.

[DittoJed2]

"He's a traitor to his country and religion,"
Good grief! Don'tcha just wish just once someone would take one of these ignorant Muslims by the scruff of the neck, slap them around a bit and say "do you realize how totally and entirely insane your system of belief is?" I mean, if my "religion" consisted of protecting pure evil in the form of the torturous, murderous Hussein brothers I'd be switching religions rather quickly. Imbeciles!

[DB]

Rational thought is not a skill these people possess.

I really doubt that it is possible to save them from themselves...

[joesnuffy]

If he pays everybody in town a grand to like him
I bet they will....

[dfwgator]

So with the Iraqis it's the equivalent of, "they can't do that to our pledges, only WE can do that to our pledges."

[DittoJed2]

Except the "they" in case is one of their own who turned the demons in.

[StriperSniper]

Hussein 'traitor' now a marked man

Not to worry, $30 mil can buy him a nice mansion in Hollywood...condo on the Upper East Side of NYC...ranch in Texas!

[mr.pink]

So with the Iraqis it's the equivalent of, "they can't do that to our pledges, only WE can do that to our pledges."

I forget where exactly I read this, but I think sums the problem up:

"Me against my brother... me and my brother against our cousin.... me, my brother, and my cousin agianst the world"

[Sam's Army]

Now why would this guy even be in trouble???After all, the network newsheads have spent a lot of time telling me that these 2 dead guys may not even be Oday and Qusay-----and that killing them is wrong even though it wasn't them and that weve done "creative photography" to help Bush's poll numbers.

[Michael.SF.]

Most Iraqis wanted to deal with Saddam and his sons according to Iraqi principles, explained Mohammed Taher al-Abid Rabu, a member of the Mosul city council.

"According to our Arab traditions and principles, he who seeks refuge must be protected," Rabu said.

OK. I get it. If you ask for protection you get it. But if you don't they tear you from limb to limb, rip off your testicles, before then dragging your your carcass through the dirt of Baghdad.

[cardinal4]

"According to our Arab traditions and principles, he who seeks refuge must be protected," Rabu said.

Ever noticed how deviant behavior can always be explained away under the guise of islamic benevolence?

[Sir Charles]

I'll bet, if they tried, they could have found someone in Mosul who agreed it was the right thing to do. If they would rather take care of things in their own way, the only missing rather essential element in that custom is apprehending the bad guys, something no one seems to have the courage to even attempt. These people are hard to understand if we're getting even half the truth of the matter. Talk is pretty cheap, particularly after the event.

[azsportsterman]

He who seeks refuge must be protected

Our military forces should ask the mullahs for citywide refuge. Either the attacks would have to stop, or the hypocrisy of this statement would show through like a shining light in the darkness.

[Farnham]

They are even harder to understand when viewed through the filter of journalists who scrape up every nut job that is willing to bitch about Americans and present them as "typical".

Read between the lines. No matter where you live, your neighbors will be gripping about why you don't deserve a $30 mill windfall.

[SauronOfMordor]

Keep in mind this is an upscale neighborhood. To be wealthy in Iraq, you had to be in the Ba'ath Party. All the residents of that nieghborhood owed their economic status to Sadaam. That's the real story. With Sadaam gone, their "connections" are worthless. They're not pissed over any Islamic violation -- they're pissed they're not gonna make money any more

[DittoJed2]

May be. However, as Islam is practiced in most of those nations, it is a Muslim verses Infidel thing. I would dare say that given the right circumstances, the vast number of people might agree with such a sentiment (at least outwardly).