Saddam family resistance link

2004-07-05 10:13

Washington - A broad network of Saddam Hussein's extended family is helping fund and arm the anti-US insurgency in Iraq, the New York Times reported on Monday.

The network operates in part from Syria and Jordan and actively smuggles weapons, fighters and money into Iraq for the cause, according to the Times.

One of the leaders is Saddam's cousin Fatiq Suleiman al-Majid, described as a former officer in Iraq's Special Security Organisation who fled to Syria after the US-led invasion of Iraq, the Times reported.

At least two other Saddam cousins from the Majid family who now live in Syria and in Europe are also involved in the operation, US officials told the Times.

When Saddam was in power, members of the Majid family, which came from Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, performed key roles in Iraq's state security.

US officials told the Times that Saddam's cousins, who now live outside Iraq, can tap into tens of millions of dollars, much of it profits from smuggling oil, military equipment and other goods during Saddam's regime.

US officials acknowledge that much of the resistance comes from Iraqis with no ties to Saddam, including fighters loyal to radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. And Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian linked to al-Qaeda, has been blamed for most major bombings since Saddam's 2003 downfall.

Nevertheless, officials believe a pro-Saddam resistance force of up to 5 000 fighters that is organised and directed by former Iraqi officials is responsible for many attacks, according to the Times.

- AFP