Queen of spades captured

2003-04-21 22:25

Camp As-Saliyah, Qatar - Mohammad Hamza al-Zubaidi, one of the 55 Iraqi officials wanted by the United States, was taken into custody on Monday by US troops, US Central Command said in a statement.

A member of the Iraqi National Congress, Haidar Ahmad had told AFP earlier that the Free Iraqi Forces (FIF) "captured Mohammad Hamza al-Zubaidi in Hilla," 80km south of Baghdad, "and handed him over to US troops."

Zubaidi, the queen of spades in the "most wanted" deck of cards issued by the US military, was a former member of the Revolutionary Command Council, the all-important decision-making body of President Saddam Hussein's regime.

The capture of Zubaidi brings to eight the number of former Iraqi officials arrested since Washington issued the playing cards with the order to capture or kill on April 11.

The INC said on Sunday that Saddam Hussein's son-in-law, Jamal Mustafa Abdullah Sultan had given himself up, but the information was not confirmed by the US military.

The US military on Saturday captured Iraq's former higher education and scientific research minister Human Abd al-Khaliq Abd al-Ghafar.

Former finance minister and deputy prime minister Hikmat al-Azzawi was captured April 18, while Samir al-Aziz al-Najim, a former oil minister and senior Baath party leader, was apprehended a day before.

Two of Saddam's half-brothers, Barzan Ibrahim Hasan al-Tikriti and Watban Ibrahim Hasan al-Tikriti, were captured on April 17 and 13 respectively.

General Amir al-Saadi, a rocket specialist and Saddam's chief weapons advisor, surrendered to coalition troops April 12.

- AFX