Letters From an Iraqi Expatriate Jude Wanniski March 26, 2002

Memo To: Karl Rove, political counselor to President Bush
From: Jude Wanniski
Re: Saddam Did Not Gas the Kurds II

In yesterday's memo to you, Karl, I introduced you to Dr. Stephen Pelletiere, co-author of the 1990 report of the Army War College that exonerated Saddam Hussein of the charge that he used poison gas to kill his own citizens at Halabja in early 1988. I'll return to Pelletiere in at least one future memo devoted to the alleged "genocide" by Saddam's army of 100,000 Iraqi Kurds in late 1988, which the Pelletiere team says never happened, "a non-event." Today, though, I offer an interesting set of e-mails I received from an Iraqi expatriate, a professor of physiology at a university in the U.K., who has been following my website for two years, he says, and decided two weeks ago to contribute to my understanding of these events. Dr. Obeida is no fan of Saddam Hussein's regime, which he says tried to prevent his departure 17 years ago, but he remains well connected. The letters are not "evidence" one way or another, but I thought I would share them with you and my website audience.

Date: Fri, 15 Mar 2002

Dear Mr. Wanniski:

As I mentioned in my previous message to you, I am very delighted to locate an authorized American, like yourself, who knows the truth behind the real reasons that push the American administration towards launching war against Iraq. Despite my opinion about the Iraqi regime, I hate to see my country under siege for so many years for reasons invented by the CIA, MI6, etc. and also very disgusted by the support of the American administration to those Iraqis who are calling themselves "opposition" and who falsely claim that they have support inside Iraq.

Since the CIA formed what is called the "INC" [Iraqi National Congress], I have been following their activities and what they claimed and are claiming to the media from attacks on Iraqi government's targets inside Iraq in order to show their masters that they have activities and support inside Iraq. Whereas the truth is as follows:

I have, in Iraq, the second eldest brother who just retired as an Army General, and in the meantime I have another brother (the eldest), who is the secretary of Iraqi expatriate in one of the European countries. This eldest brother normally visits Iraq once or twice a year, and always after he returns from Iraq I have a chat with him about what is going inside Iraq, and always amongst my questions are those related to whatever the INC had claimed to have done inside Iraq. In all cases, none of their claims was true, except twice in the last few years, where one of the Shiite groups (not member in the INC) launched an attack on civilian targets inside Iraq that ended in some casualties.

I feel, if you could, that it is the time to expose the ugly face of those claiming that they are the main opposition group to withdraw Saddam from power. In addition, my belief is that if the Iraqi's are not happy with Saddam, then let them do something about it from inside Iraq, and not to send troops over 5000 miles to a country that poses no threat on the US or the UK. The Americans and the Brits should have nothing to do with this. It is enough what they are doing when they, illegally, imposed what is called the “No fly zone.”

As a Muslim Shii, I assure you that a very small per cent of the Shii in Iraq are against the regime, and in general no Iraqi would like to see a government imposed on its people by the US or the UK, as all Iraqis have a very bad feelings against the American and the British administrations. Finally, please feel free to ask me anything that you may think will help you investigate those opposition or anything else.

Best regards.
Dr. Mohammed Al-Obaidi
BVMS, Dip. VS, PhD, MIL, MITI

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[I asked Dr, Obaidi if he could shed any light on the charge that Saddam had gassed the Kurds. I should have specified Halabja in mid-March, 1988. In his response, he took it to mean charges that gas had been used in 1991, at the end of the Gulf War, when the CIA staged an unsuccessful "uprising" of the Kurds anticipating a regime change in Baghdad.]

Date: Sat, 16 Mar 2002

Dear Mr. Wanniski:

I have been searching the internet since yesterday, and read quite a lot about the issue that you just asked about. It is true I was not there, but my trusted resources told me that Saddam used internationally prohibited weapons like the "Napalm" supplied to him by the US, which inflict skin disorders almost similar to certain poisonous gases. Besides, one should remember that at the Iran/Iraq war ended before his invasion to Kuwait and during the first or second day of the massive attack on Iraq by the US and its allies. So, at the end of the Iran/Iraq war, the Kurds posed no danger to the central government, and they were well under control by measurements taken by the central government for many years before their uprising at the end of the Gulf War, when they captured Sulaimanyah and Arbil, and this happened because most of the Army was engaged down in the South.

The issue supposedly happened during their uprising, but I am absolutely sure no poisonous gases were used except the Napalm and other similar weapons. I am also absolutely sure from my resources, that the Iraqis knew very well that the uprising was orchestrated not by initiatives from their leaderships but by a well planned scenario set for them by the CIA and the Mossad. In fact, part of this scenario was to drive the Kurds out of their homes and villages when the Kurd leaderships were told that Saddam is preparing to use WMD against them, whereas the main reason for this was to show the World how brutal Saddam was. This scenario was well planned because the US and the Mossad were certain of the defeat of Saddam in his occupation to Kuwait, and the plan was made to be implemented after the end of the war as part of their conditions to end the war, but this did not happen exactly as it was planned. It should also, always be remembered that neither Saddam nor his party were considering the Kurds as "guest" in Iraq, but they were recognised as a nation part of Iraq (minority part of the Iraqi Nation).

Hope this helps you, Kind regards
Mohammed

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[In my memo yesterday, I mentioned an Iraqi general who had defected to the U.K. and was being discussed as a potential successor to Saddam if a "regime change" could be brought about by military action. I asked Dr. Obaida what he knew about the general.]

Dear Jude: Regarding your question about that Iraqi General, and after I made a contact with one of my closest friends here in the U.K. who knows tremendous amount of trusted information about the Iraqi issues. Here are the info that you may need to know:

That General's name is Nezar Al-Khazraji, who was Chief Of Staff of the Iraqi Military Forces for several years and during 1988, where allegedly Iraq has used the gas against the Kurds. Nezar defected Iraq to Jordan. The way he has defected was through the North of Iraq and with the help of the two main Kurdish parties. In fact, he was hosted by both Masood Al-Barazani and Jalal Al-Talabani during his escape. Then from the North of Iraq to Turkey and back to Jordan, where he preferred to live. He faced a lot of trouble from the Iraqi Security personnel in Jordan, then he left to Spain, where he applied for political asylum, but was not granted. He then left to Denmark, where he was granted political asylum.

In Denmark, the Iraqi regime has a very powerful groups, who tried to make trouble to General Al-Khazraji by allegedly accusing him behind the attack on the Kurds with poisonous gas. The issue reached four of the members of parliament in Denmark, who raised his case in the court in an attempt to deport him from Denmark. In his defence, he said that if he had done what he is being accused of, then how come that the leaders of both Kurdish parties helped him to escape from Iraq and host him for two weeks in the Kurdish area. He asked that the Danish government write to the leaders of the Kurdish parties for clarifications about this issue, which they received later confirming his story. Therefore, the case was dropped against him and he is still living in Denmark. He also said in his defence that despite the fact that he was Chief Of Staff of the Iraqi Military Forces, he never knew about the capability of the Iraqis of having poisonous gas. He said that if it is true, then the only people knowing about it would be the closest circle to president Saddam and amongst them was his cousin Ali Hassan Al-Majid, who was accused of being the mastermind of spraying the Kurds with poisonous gas.

My source has also indicated to me that General Al-Khazraji is a highly respected person, who continuously refused to collaborate with the INC in anyway. In fact, in an interview with him three days ago, with an Arab paper published in London, called "Al-Sharq Al-Awsat," he categorically denied any connection with INC and that he will never attend the meeting for Iraqi Officials that is going to take place in the US shortly. He also indicated that he has no ambition whatsoever to get hold of any position in the forthcoming government, if it happened. He said that he is a military man and wishes to continue his duties in the military and nowhere else.

My source also assured me that the information he has definitely freed the Iraqis from these allegations as having used the poisonous gas against the Kurds. He mentioned to me that he once read a document about the meeting between James Baker, US Secretary of State, and Tariq Aziz in Geneva shortly before the beginning of the Gulf War, in which James Baker told Aziz that the American administration is quite sure that it was not the Iraqis but the Iranian who used the poisonous gas against the Kurds. In this occasion, I would ask you to investigate this issue closely by either contacting James Baker (if you could) or get hold of the minutes of that meeting between him and Aziz. It will definitely clarifies this issue.

Regards, Mohammed

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[I found this interesting enough, but my main interest was Halabja, and this time I so specified.]

Date: Tue, 19 Mar 2002 21:10:15 -0000

Dear Jude: What the World should know that Iraq was supplied by the Americans during the Iran/Iraq war with what are called "early warning equipments" that had been used throughout the Iraqi/Iranian borders from the North to the South. These equipments could easily detect any movement of personnel or vehicles on the other side of the border for a long distance. My knowledge is that the Iraqis were not "completely surprised" by the attack of the Iranians, but knew that they have forces several miles away from the border, and that they are preparing to launch an attack from that site (Halabja is about one mile from the border with Iran, and it is relatively plain area, but surrounded by hills and mountains). A day from the actual attack my brother's regiment was called to rush to the area for that anticipated attack by the Iranians. When his regiment arrived, it was the second day for the attack, (as he had to move from Mosul, which is a bit further in the North, to the Halabja area), and there he saw what has already happened, at a time the Iranians were retreating (probably because of the Iraqi fire power and also their surprise to see what they have done to the Kurds).

The issue is also contrary to what Pelletiere mentioned in his book. After the Iranians used the gas and entered into Halabja, the Iranians were surprised by the presence of a reasonably good presence of the Iraqis on the Iraqi side (the Hills surrounding Halabja). Their entry to Halabja gave them the chance to film what have they have done there. When they were forced to retreat by the Iraqis, the Iraqis had also filmed what had happened to the Kurds. In fact it was the Iraqi TV who first showed the very first pictures of the atrocities following the gassing of the Kurds in Halabja. Had the Iraqis done what it is now believed or alleged they have done, then why did they show those pictures on their own TV immediately after the attack.

The other thing, Jalal Talabani had no forces in the area at the time of the attack. His people (forces) were all hiding further north in the mountains, and in no way they were nearer to Halabja. So how come he helped the Iranian to enter Halabja, when Halabja is only about 100 Kilometres away from Baghdad. This does not make sense to me or to anyone who knows where the Kurd forces that oppose the central government at all.

This issue is again confirmed by General Al-Khazraji, who was Chief of Staff of all Iraqi Military Forces supported by confirmations from Al-Barazani and Al-Talabani that he never knew that Iraq had used any kind of gas. In fact, Iraq had no complete facility or equipment to manufacture that gas during 1988. Besides, the symptoms appeared on the victims are consistent with blood-born gas (Cyanide), and not mustard gas as alleged that the Iraqis had used.

Finally, this man Pelletiere should have seen the Iraqi map closely before he writes what he has written, as if the Kurd rebels were a throw of stone from Baghdad, and as such they facilitated the entry of the Iranians to Iraq. During the whole Iran/Iraq war, the Kurds showed no signs of helping the Iranians to invade Iraq despite the atrocities committed against them by the central government. They knew and still know that what they have gained from the central government is and will be much bigger than what they can get for their own people living in Iran, Syria, Turkey, etc.

Pelletiere mentioned that reporters were let into the city to see for themselves what had happened to the Kurds. Well, no wise man would believe it that if the Iraqis had gassed the Kurds, then why do they want to bring reporters to report it to the World and later to accuse Saddam of this atrocity against the Kurds, particularly when the city was under their control.

Hope my answers will help you.
Regards, Mohammed

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Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002

Dear Jude: It seems that the American admin has decided to put an end to the Iraqi regime, from what President Bush has said yesterday when he met Vice President Cheney. It seems also, that even the UN Security Council (of course by opposition from the US and the UK Ambassadors) that they are even not willing to discuss the questions raised by the Iraqi Foreign Minister when he met UN Secretary General. It looks to me and to all descent Iraqis that whatever the Iraqis will do, attacking Iraq will happen anyway, despite the opposition to this attack by all Arab Countries, including the Kuwaitis and the Saudis.

I am sad and disgusted for they are planning against Iraq, more lives and blood will be shed, for reasons just to satisfy those in the American admin who are supporting Israel. Is there anything one can do to deter the Admin from going on in their plan?

Regards, Mohammed

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I told Dr. Obaida that Israel is practically the 51st state as far as Americans are concerned, and that if a peace settlement takes hold there, there would be much less pressure to war with Iraq, especially if the inspection issues are resolved.