thedrifter
05-05-03, 11:30 AM
Key Iraqi Bioweapons Scientist Captured
By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Coalition forces have captured one of Iraq (news - web sites)'s top biological weapons scientists, defense officials said Monday
Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash, among the 55 most wanted members of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s fallen regime, was taken into custody on Sunday, a Defense Department official said. He had no other details about her detention.
Officials have not yet found any weapons of mass destruction — which the Bush administration cited as justification for the war in Iraq — and have said they need information from Iraqis to help find them. It was unclear how much cooperation they would get from Ammash, since all other high-ranking officials have denied under interrogation that there was such a program in recent year.
With her detention, the United States has now acknowledged holding 19 of the 55 most wanted.
U.S. intelligence officials said that Ammash, 49, is believed to have played a key role in rebuilding Baghdad's biological weapons capability since the first Persian Gulf War (news - web sites) in 1991.
Born in 1953 in Baghdad, her father was Salih Magdi Ammash, a former vice president, defense minister and member of the Baath Party's leadership. Saddam reportedly ordered his execution in 1983.
Ammash was trained by Nassir al-Hindawi, described by United Nations (news - web sites) inspectors as the father of Iraq's biological weapons program, officials said.
She has served as president of Iraqi's microbiology society and as dean at University of Baghdad.
Ammash and al-Hindawi are among Iraq's top weapons scientists. Others include Amir al-Saadi, a chief chemical weapons researcher, and Dr. Rihab Taha, a woman who was dubbed "Dr. Germ" by inspectors. Ammash is the only women on the most-wanted list.
In 2001, she became the first and only woman elected to the highest policymaking body in the Baath Party, the regional command, after working closely with Saddam's youngest son, Qusai.
American officials say Ammash is among a new generation of leaders named by Saddam to leading posts within Iraq's Baath party.
On the Pentagon (news - web sites)'s list the 55 most wanted, she is number 53 and referred to as the party's Youth and Trade Bureau Chairman. She played a role in organizing Baath activities in Jordan, Lebanon and Yemen, officials said.
Ammash received her undergraduate degree at the University of Baghdad, master of science in microbiology from Texas Woman's University, in Denton, Texas, and received a doctorate in microbiology from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1983.
In one of several videos of Saddam released during the war, Ammash was the only woman among about a half-dozen men seated around a table. The videos were used as Iraqi propaganda as invading forces drew closer to Baghdad and it was not known when the meeting happened or what was the significance of her presence there.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Sunday the United States will have to rely on low-ranking Iraqi officials from Saddam Hussein's government to disclose the existence of banned chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs.
He said there is little chance that the weapons will be found independently, or that top officials will provide useful information.
"I never believed that we'd just tumble over weapons of mass destruction in that country," Rumsfeld told "Fox News Sunday," echoing President Bush (news - web sites)'s comments Saturday.
"I'm not frustrated at all," Rumsfeld said later on CNN's "Late Edition."
Rumsfeld said weapons of mass destruction will not be easily found because Saddam hid them from U.N. inspectors.
So far, high-level Iraqi officials, such as Tariq Aziz, one of Saddam's closest deputies, have not cooperated or provided information about the weapons, U.S. officials said.
"We're going to have to find people not at the very senior level who are vulnerable, obviously, if they're in custody, but it will be people down below who had been involved in one way or another," the defense secretary said.
Asked if any of these lower-level officials are cooperating, Rumsfeld said: "Are they telling us something substantive? We don't have anything substantive to announce at the present time."
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20030505/capt.1052146119.iraq_captured_scientist_ny190.jpg
Sempers,
Roger
By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Coalition forces have captured one of Iraq (news - web sites)'s top biological weapons scientists, defense officials said Monday
Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash, among the 55 most wanted members of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s fallen regime, was taken into custody on Sunday, a Defense Department official said. He had no other details about her detention.
Officials have not yet found any weapons of mass destruction — which the Bush administration cited as justification for the war in Iraq — and have said they need information from Iraqis to help find them. It was unclear how much cooperation they would get from Ammash, since all other high-ranking officials have denied under interrogation that there was such a program in recent year.
With her detention, the United States has now acknowledged holding 19 of the 55 most wanted.
U.S. intelligence officials said that Ammash, 49, is believed to have played a key role in rebuilding Baghdad's biological weapons capability since the first Persian Gulf War (news - web sites) in 1991.
Born in 1953 in Baghdad, her father was Salih Magdi Ammash, a former vice president, defense minister and member of the Baath Party's leadership. Saddam reportedly ordered his execution in 1983.
Ammash was trained by Nassir al-Hindawi, described by United Nations (news - web sites) inspectors as the father of Iraq's biological weapons program, officials said.
She has served as president of Iraqi's microbiology society and as dean at University of Baghdad.
Ammash and al-Hindawi are among Iraq's top weapons scientists. Others include Amir al-Saadi, a chief chemical weapons researcher, and Dr. Rihab Taha, a woman who was dubbed "Dr. Germ" by inspectors. Ammash is the only women on the most-wanted list.
In 2001, she became the first and only woman elected to the highest policymaking body in the Baath Party, the regional command, after working closely with Saddam's youngest son, Qusai.
American officials say Ammash is among a new generation of leaders named by Saddam to leading posts within Iraq's Baath party.
On the Pentagon (news - web sites)'s list the 55 most wanted, she is number 53 and referred to as the party's Youth and Trade Bureau Chairman. She played a role in organizing Baath activities in Jordan, Lebanon and Yemen, officials said.
Ammash received her undergraduate degree at the University of Baghdad, master of science in microbiology from Texas Woman's University, in Denton, Texas, and received a doctorate in microbiology from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1983.
In one of several videos of Saddam released during the war, Ammash was the only woman among about a half-dozen men seated around a table. The videos were used as Iraqi propaganda as invading forces drew closer to Baghdad and it was not known when the meeting happened or what was the significance of her presence there.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Sunday the United States will have to rely on low-ranking Iraqi officials from Saddam Hussein's government to disclose the existence of banned chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs.
He said there is little chance that the weapons will be found independently, or that top officials will provide useful information.
"I never believed that we'd just tumble over weapons of mass destruction in that country," Rumsfeld told "Fox News Sunday," echoing President Bush (news - web sites)'s comments Saturday.
"I'm not frustrated at all," Rumsfeld said later on CNN's "Late Edition."
Rumsfeld said weapons of mass destruction will not be easily found because Saddam hid them from U.N. inspectors.
So far, high-level Iraqi officials, such as Tariq Aziz, one of Saddam's closest deputies, have not cooperated or provided information about the weapons, U.S. officials said.
"We're going to have to find people not at the very senior level who are vulnerable, obviously, if they're in custody, but it will be people down below who had been involved in one way or another," the defense secretary said.
Asked if any of these lower-level officials are cooperating, Rumsfeld said: "Are they telling us something substantive? We don't have anything substantive to announce at the present time."
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20030505/capt.1052146119.iraq_captured_scientist_ny190.jpg
Sempers,
Roger