Cash Withdrawal by Saddam Funding Attacks -ABC News

Reuters via Yahoo News ^ | 12/03/03

[TexKat]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) withdrew more than $1 billion from Iraq (news - web sites)'s central bank hours before U.S. forces invaded, and some of the money may be funding the Iraqi insurgency against U.S. troops, ABC News reported on Wednesday.

Quoting a letter purportedly written by Saddam and obtained by ABC News, and citing U.S. officials, ABC News said $132 million of funds withdrawn by the Iraqi leader is unaccounted for and may be being used by his followers to fund attacks against U.S. forces.

ABC News said the handwritten letter from Saddam, dated March 19, 2003, was found by U.S. agents in the files of the Iraqi central bank, and obtained by ABC News.

"We are giving, with this written note, permission for Mr. Qusay Saddam Hussein and Mr. Hekmat Mezban Ibrahiem to receive the following amounts of money: 1 - $920 million. 2 - 90 million euros. To protect and save them from American aggression," the letter said, according to an English translation provided by ABC News.

Most of the cash has since been recovered by U.S. soldiers and agents in Iraq, ABC News said, but 33 boxes of newly printed $100 bills have been connected to recent attacks on U.S. forces.

[Vermonter]

FOX news just confirmed this at the top of the hour

[Shermy]

Interesting date.

Why you think so?

[Senator Pardek]

Why don't they have ATMs like that around here?

[Monitor]

Why you think so?

President Bush Addresses the Nation, March 19, 2003

[TexKat]

Ping

[radu]

Hmmmmm, I remember hearing that the sons had taken a LOT of money out of the bank but not "when" and the "how". They cut it mighty close, it appears.

Thanks for the ping. :-)

[savedbygrace]

Quoting a letter purportedly written by Saddam and obtained by ABC News, and citing U.S. officials, ABC News said $132 million of funds withdrawn by the Iraqi leader is unaccounted for and may be being used by his followers to fund attacks against U.S. forces.

That sentence should be taken out and shot. "May be being used"? Diagram that, if you can.

[radu]

Oh yeah, another thing I'd thought of after hearing about the ambush over the weekend....they have the old currency, which won't be any good next month. I figured SoDammed and his cronies were behind the ambush. Trying to get their hands on a bunch of the new currency.

[faithincowboys]

You don't say? The poor, doddering old man that the Left has tried to rehabilitate is funding the bombings at the UN Red Cross and the ones that kill our brave, fine soldiers.

I'm as shocked as Peter Jennings. /sarcasm

[McGavin999]

This is ancient news, we knew about this right after we arrived in Baghdad. The interesting thing is most of it was in Iraqi dinars. Those are about to expire in January and will be totally useless. That's why they were after the convoy that was delivering the new dinars.

I do believe the insurgancy is about to go "underfunded".

Someone at work said he had cash stashed all over the world and it could go on for years. I just looked at him and said "Yeah, and how's he going to get it?" I would imagine that every single account is being watched.

[okie01]

"This is ancient news, we knew about this right after we arrived in Baghdad."

So we did. One wonders why it is that ABC has suddenly concluded that this eight-month old story is news.

If memory serves, they loaded up five semi-trailers with cash that night. And we've apparently found four of them.

I recall another story about an Iraqi official who detained one of the trucks in Fallujah, I believe it was, and alerted the American authorities as to its contents, then baby sat the truck all night by himself. That was in May or June.

[McGavin999]

Yep, and remember the millions they found in the garden in the tin boxes from the bank in Jordan?

[okie01]

And the bags of cash stowed in the walls of Uday's palace.

Talk about "walkin' around money"...

[elli1]

"This is ancient news, we knew about this right after we arrived in Baghdad. The interesting thing is most of it was in Iraqi dinars."

There was a LOT of US cash ($800 million or so) found in those stashes around Baghdad besides the dinars. What seems to be "new" in the report is that some of the missing US cash has been tied to the recent attacks. Says that the bills are new, so the serial #'s are probably how they're able to track & tie it to the attacks.

[McGavin999]

Interesting point, I didn't even think about the serial numbers. I'll bet Saddam didn't either. :o)

[windchime]

"......33 boxes of newly printed $100 bills have been connected to recent attacks on U.S. forces."

I hope more information turns up on this. Newly printed...when? Authentic or counterfeit? Is this sum necessarily part of the withdrawal on March 19? Do we have fresh funds flowing into Iraq provided by the anti-Bush, anti-Iraq war, anti-American Soros/Lewis group to inflict damage and casualties on our military?

TexKat, I don't expect you to know the answers. :) The 'newly printed' just causes nagging questions.

[elli1]

Here's a little more info that helps answer some of the questions:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/iraq/2003-05-15-cash-found_x.htm