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Saddam's wife, daughter on wanted list
3.7.2006
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BAGHDAD, Iraq - Saddam Hussein's wife and
eldest daughter are among 41 people on the Iraqi
government's most wanted list, along with the new
leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, a top official announced
Sunday.
National security adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie also
said the former al-Qaida boss, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi,
had been buried secretly in Baghdad despite his
family's demand that the body be returned to Jordan.
Al-Zarqawi died June 7 from a U.S. airstrike
northeast of Baghdad.
Al-Rubaie told reporters the government was
releasing the most wanted list "so that our people
can know their enemies."
Saddam's wife, Sajida Khairallah Tulfah, was No. 17,
just behind the ousted leader's eldest daughter,
Raghad. Sajida is believed to be in Qatar, and
Raghad lives in Jordan, where she was given refuge
by King Abdullah II.
"We have contacted all the neighboring countries and
they know what we want. Some of these countries are
cooperating with us," al-Rubaie said. "We will chase
them inside and outside Iraq. We will chase them one
after the other."
Iraqi officials have long alleged that Saddam's
relatives who fled the country have been financing
insurgent groups linked to the former ruling Baath
party. Raghad has played a leading role in
organizing her father's legal defense against
charges stemming from his 23-year rule.
Jordanian Prime Minister Marouf Al-Bakhit said
Sunday Raghad was not engaging in any political or
media activities in Jordan.
"Raghad Saddam Hussein and her children are in
Jordan for purely humanitarian reasons, hosted and
protected by the Hashemite (Jordanian Royal Family)
as foreigners," al-Bakhit said in remarks carried by
Jordan's official Petra news agency. |

Photo:AP

Former dictator Saddam Hussein
Photo : AFP |
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Al-Bakhit said Jordan had not received any official
request from Iraq with regard to Raghad's wanted
status.
The No. 1 spot on the list went to Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri,
formerly Saddam's top lieutenant and the
highest-ranking regime figure to elude capture. The
U.S. has offered $10 million for al-Douri, who is
alleged to be among the key organizers of the
insurgency.
Although U.S. and Iraqi officials often draw
attention to religious extremists in the insurgency,
such as the members of al-Qaida in Iraq, most of
those on the list had close links to Saddam's
regime. They include Baath party leaders,
intelligence officials and Republican Guard
officers.
No. 30 on the list is Abu Ayyub al-Masri, also known
as Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, who was endorsed by Osama
bin Laden as leader of al-Qaida's operations in Iraq
in an audiotape posted Saturday on the Internet.
The government offered a $50,000 reward for al-Masri.
Last week, the U.S. administration approved a reward
up to $5 million for al-Masri, who is believed to be
Egyptian.
"Those people are carrying out bombings and random
killings as they aim to inflict damage on the Iraqi
people and ignite a sectarian war between Shiites
and Sunnis," al-Rubaie said.
Al-Zarqawi was blamed for many of Iraq's worst
terror bombings before he was killed.
Confirming Al-Zarqawi burial, the U.S. military said
only that he had been interred "in accordance with
Muslim customs and traditions." It gave no more
details, saying the issue was in the hands of the
Iraqi government.
Al-Rubaie told The Associated Press that al-Zarqawi's
body was in a secret grave in the capital but would
give no other information.
In neighboring Jordan, al-Zarqawi's older brother
demanded the body be sent to his homeland and
accused President Bush's administration of lying
about the burial.
"Bush took his body to the United States," Sayel al-Khalayleh
told AP from his home in Zarqa. "Even if he is
buried in Iraq, we will continue to ask for the body
to be transferred and buried in Jordan. He should be
buried in his own country."
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a member of
Iraq's Shiite majority, was touring neighboring
countries to bolster support for his new government
and assure Sunni Arab leaders of his commitment to
reconciliation among Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds.
He was holding talks after a deadly car bomb
exploded Saturday at an outdoor market in a Shiite
district of Baghdad, killing at least 66 people and
wounding about 100. It was the deadliest attack
since the new national unity government took office
in May.
Al-Maliki met Saturday night with Saudi King
Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan, who expressed
their support for his government, according to the
official Saudi news agency.
Iraq's Arab neighbors fear sectarian tensions could
spill over into their countries, which are dominated
by Sunnis but have Shiite communities.
The Iraqi leader told the independent Kuwaiti
newspaper Al-Qabas that if his government falters in
the battle against terrorism, "there will be no Iraq
left."
Al-Maliki's reconciliation initiative includes an
offer of amnesty to many of the fighters the
insurgency, which is dominated by the disgruntled
Sunni Arab minority.
AP
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