International organizations major reduction in presence in Iraq; Occupation forces search Musil for Saddam Hussein
Iraq, Politics, 9/1/2003

The American occupation forces backed by helicopters yesterday besieged an area filled with farms in al-Musil city to the north of Iraq, in what seemed to be a search operation to find the toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Witnesses said that the American forces deployed reinforcements in this unpopulated area on the east bank of Tigris. An area which includes farms used to be owned by members of the former regime. It also includes a house for one of Saddam's brothers.

Tension is prevailing in al-Musil where the US forces had earlier besieged the Arab quarters on the western bank of Tigris, according to what was said by people of the quarters who indicated the possibility of Saddam Hussein hiding in the area.

One witness said that "a large American force in the area received information that Saddam Hussein is hiding in the Arab quarters." Another witness said that "news rumored in the city on the possibility hiding of Saddam Hussein." An American soldier refused to comment on these news and confined to saying that the American forces are "preoccupied with an important matter today." In addition to farms which are owned by officials of the former regime, situated on the eastern bank of Tigris in Musil, the house of Aab'awi Ibrahim al-Hassan, Saddam's half brother who was an advisor at the Presidency divan. He is among the wanted on the American list of the former Iraqi officials.

On the other hand, an American military spokesman said yesterday that the occupation forces killed 6 Iraqis and wounded 2 who attacked an American convoy by missiles and small weapons. The spokesman explained that two American soldiers were injured in the incident which took place on Saturday directly to the west of Karkouk.

The US army announced that 7 American soldiers were injured on Saturday when a mine went off when a car was running near the Iraqi- Syrian borders.

The occupation army also announced that a fire erupted in an oil pipeline linking Karkouk oil fields and Beji refinery in Northern Iraq "most expectedly resulting from a damaging operation."

Meantime, the UN, the ICRC (Red Cross) and other international humanitarian organizations decided to greatly reduce their presence in Iraq as a result of security disorder in the country.

An official at the UN said yesterday that the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC and other international organizations are intending to reduce the number of their foreign employees in Iraq. He added "a very limited team composed of 19 persons will remain in Iraq and the others will leave as from Monday." He explained "the matter relates, in particular to employees working in the oil-for-food program, while workers in various agencies, they are about to leave and only Iraqi employees will remain."

Meantime, British foreign office secretary Jack Straw denied yesterday that the American- British occupation is loosing control in Iraq, despite the attacks and the recent acts of violence. Straw described the al-Najaf attack that killed many including a prominent Shiite leader as "very ugly." He said "the heart of the matter is that August was a very bad month at the security level in all Iraqi areas." He added "this provokes frustration in all participating sides."

Straw explained that "what the terrorists are trying to do is to prevent the return back of normalcy." This requires an answer at the security and political level from the US, Britain and the international community."

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