Saddam's hiding places
Amir Taheri suggest where Saddam is most likel;y hiding.
"...The most likely area is known as Al-Jazirah, northwest of Mosul. It is dotted with hundreds of villages whose inhabitants, mostly Sunni Arabs and Assyrians, are not necessarily hostile to the fallen dictator.
"Saddam has been a frequent visitor to the area for decades, granting it favorable treatment in terms of development grants and presidential "gifts." Much of the population consists of clans from the Al-Shammar tribal confederation, one of whose chiefs is now a member of the Governing Council in Baghdad.
"There are dozens of villages where Saddam could be hiding, among them Senarik, Buwayr, Qadiyah, Huwaysh, Ghuzzayyil, Tavuq and Tulul al-Baqq. Tribal traditions as strong as those of the Corsican separatists or the Mafia would protect Saddam against denunciation, at least in theory.
"So, what is to be done? The first thing to do is to put some professionals in charge of the hunt. This is a task for police detectives, not the regular armed forces or MPs. The second is to mobilize the Iraqis to conduct the hunt on the ground. There are areas where no outsider could really penetrate or, if he did, be able to pierce the thick wall of silence."
Amir Taheri suggest where Saddam is most likel;y hiding.
"...The most likely area is known as Al-Jazirah, northwest of Mosul. It is dotted with hundreds of villages whose inhabitants, mostly Sunni Arabs and Assyrians, are not necessarily hostile to the fallen dictator.
"Saddam has been a frequent visitor to the area for decades, granting it favorable treatment in terms of development grants and presidential "gifts." Much of the population consists of clans from the Al-Shammar tribal confederation, one of whose chiefs is now a member of the Governing Council in Baghdad.
"There are dozens of villages where Saddam could be hiding, among them Senarik, Buwayr, Qadiyah, Huwaysh, Ghuzzayyil, Tavuq and Tulul al-Baqq. Tribal traditions as strong as those of the Corsican separatists or the Mafia would protect Saddam against denunciation, at least in theory.
"So, what is to be done? The first thing to do is to put some professionals in charge of the hunt. This is a task for police detectives, not the regular armed forces or MPs. The second is to mobilize the Iraqis to conduct the hunt on the ground. There are areas where no outsider could really penetrate or, if he did, be able to pierce the thick wall of silence."
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