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August 23, 2003 |
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The
Death and Resurrection of "Chemical Ali": A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS It's a Miracle! This series of articles on the deaths and rebirths of "Chemical Ali" will leave you laughing out loud, except when you realize that they symbolize a highly possible pattern of media manipulation by the Bush Cartel. The irony, of course, is that the Bush Cartel, in their effort to make the Saddam "Deck of Cards" crew a tool for media diversion, has made the Saddam clique appear super human and immortal. "Chemical Ali" is the man who wouldn't die. Or are his deaths and resurrections orchestrated to come out in the American media whenever Bush is on the ropes? The Bush Cartel wouldn't manipulate us like that, would they? * * * World Net Daily
March 21, 2003 -- Saddam Hussein's cousin – the notorious "Chemical Ali" – and two other top Iraqi leaders are believed to have been killed in the U.S. "decapitation attack" in Baghdad, according to a broadcast report. CIA officials told ABC News that Taha Yasin Ramadan, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, and Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as Chemical Ali, are thought to be victims of the opening salvo of the war. A CIA spokesman said the agency had no information to confirm the fatalities, but government officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told ABC they had reason to believe the three men were dead. Their conclusion was reached by analyzing radio traffic and expected movements of the key figures. Al-Majid earned his chilling nickname of Chemical Ali after deciding the best way to put down a rebellion of Kurds was to gas them. * * * ABC
News
BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 21 — Three top Iraqi leaders — including Saddam Hussein's cousin, the infamous "Chemical Ali" — are believed to have been killed in what would be a major blow to the regime, sources told ABCNEWS. ... ABCNEWS' Brian Ross reported that the three critical Iraqi officials — Taha Yasin Ramadan, Izzat Ibrahim al Douri, and Ali Hassan Majid, known as Chemical Ali — are believed to have died in Wednesday night's "decapitation attack," the opening salvo of the war. ... A CIA spokesman denied the report, but American intelligence sources said they reached this conclusion from analysis of radio traffic and after watching who went where, and who didn't arrive where they were expected. ... The three men did not appear in a videotape of Saddam meeting with advisers released today. Also absent was Saddam's eldest son, Odai. There are suspicions he also may have been killed, but this could not be confirmed. * * * Washington
Post
By Peter Baker When the bombs dropped, however, they hit the wrong place. Inside the Marine command center here, officers scrambled to help. According to a computer display of red and blue lights, they had a pair of F/A-18 Hornets nearby. The officers took the problem to Lt. Gen. James T. Conway, the Marine commander. "He basically said, 'Whatever you've got to do, make it happen,' " Lt. Col. Brian Delahaut said afterward. The Hornets streaked to Amarah and within 15 minutes hit the designated house with two GBU-16 bombs. The excitement in the Marine command center was palpable. With any luck, they had gotten one of their top targets, Gen. Ali Hassan Majeed, a cousin of President Saddam Hussein. Majeed had recently been named commander for southern Iraq but was better known as "Chemical Ali" for his role in a 1988 gas attack on rebellious Kurds in northern Iraq. "We think he's no longer breathing air," exulted one officer. In the end, though, Majeed was still breathing air. He had not been in the house, the second time he had eluded U.S. bombs meant for him since the war began. Grim Marines stowed their disappointment and returned to the battle. There would be other opportunities, they told themselves. * * * CNN
DOHA, Qatar (CNN) -- The notorious Iraqi general known as "Chemical Ali" -- Saddam Hussein's cousin who allegedly ordered a deadly chemical weapons attack against Kurds in 1988 -- was killed in a coalition airstrike on his home over the weekend, U.S.-led coalition officials said Monday. Capt. Al Lockwood, a spokesman for the British military at U.S. Central Command, said the body of Gen. Ali Hassan al-Majeed had been found. British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon said there were "indications that that is the case," although he said he could not absolutely confirm it. At the Pentagon, U.S. military authorities released video of the air assault on the home in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. It showed the first laser-guided bomb barely missing the target, and the second destroying it. "We believe that the reign of terror of Chemical Ali has come to an end," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told reporters. Gen. Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said simply, "We believe we were successful with that strike." * * * Sydney
Morning Herald
Ali Hassan al-Majid, dubbed Chemical Ali by opponents of the Iraqi regime
for ordering a poison gas attack that killed thousands of Kurds, has
reportedly been found dead. Al-Majid was a first cousin of President Saddam Hussein. ... Al-Majid was apparently killed on Saturday when two coalition aircraft used laser-guided munitions to attack his house in Basra. British
troops sent an armoured column deep into Basra on Sunday.
Yesterday they followed with light-armoured infantry - 50 to 75
vehicles and 700
troops. * * * The
Guardian
Obituary General Ali Hassan al-Majid, also known as "Chemical Ali", has died aged 64. He was killed commanding the southern Iraqi city of Basra by SAS-organised air and artillery attacks, said local British military sources. Majid earned his macabre nickname during the two years from 1987 when, as head of the Iraqi Ba'ath party's northern bureau, he presided over Operation Al-Anfal, which devastated most of Kurdistan. More than 100,000 Kurds were killed during a campaign of gassings, mass executions and starvation, including 5,000 who died in one day when the town of Halabja was saturated with chemical weapons. ... * * * BBC
Iraqi General Ali Hassan al-Majid, a cousin of Saddam Hussein better known as "Chemical Ali", may be alive, according to US military officials. He had previously been presumed dead, after coalition aircraft targeted his palace on the outskirts of the southern city of Basra in April. But
US Central Command and officials at the Pentagon
now say his
fate is uncertain. "They attacked locations where they believed him to be," Mr Rumsfeld told journalists on Thursday. "There was some speculation afterward that they thought that he had been killed. Now there's some speculation that he may be alive." General Majid ranks fifth in the US list of 55 most-wanted Iraqis. * * * MSNBC
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 — Ali Hasan al-Majid, a feared cousin of former President Saddam Hussein who was nicknamed “Chemical Ali” for his use of poison gas in attacks, has been captured by U.S. forces in Iraq, U.S. Central Command said Thursday. ... Confirming a report by NBC News, Central Command said al-Majid — No. 5 on a U.S. list of the 55 most wanted Iraqis and the “king of spades” in the U.S. Army’s deck of cards depicting fugitive members of Saddam’s government — was in custody, but it provided no details. Senior defense sources told NBC News on condition of anonymity that al-Majid was captured Sunday in the company of bodyguards, but not with other top Iraqis. The officials, who would not say where or how he was taken, said the arrest was kept secret while his identity was confirmed and to prevent compromising any information he might give. A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS |
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