Jordan: Imad Alawi committed suicide

Jordanian security sources on Monday asserted news on the suicide of Imad Hashem Alawi, brother of Eyad Alawi, the chairman of the Iraqi opposition National Reconciliation Movement, in Amman on Saturday.

The Jordanian sources told the London-based al-Hayat daily that the former commissioned minister at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry left a message for his children informing them of his decision. The source did not explain the reason behind his decision to commit suicide.

Independent sources stressed that Alawi was found dead in his car in a building garage in Amman, noting, "He might be assassinated in the framework of liquidation campaigns against Iraqi opposition figures."

In its recent issue, the Jordanian weekly al-Hadath issued details about meetings recently held by the Iraqi revolution's council leadership and the security forces in Iraq, aimed at preparations for assassination campaigns of prominent figures in the Iraqi opposition in Kurdistan, Jordan, Syria and Iraq as well as other countries in response to US plans to topple the Iraqi regime through uniting the efforts of the Iraqi opposition.

Al-Hadath added that Odai Saddam Hussein, son of President Saddam Hussein, recently presided over a meeting of the assassination unit in the special security forces, bearing the name "Unit 999" to carry out killings in the Iraqi opposition circles.

The paper said the unit's members are of various nationalities and had received training to carry out operations of the sort.

Western diplomatic sources in Amman stressed that there is an Iraqi plan to carry out a campaign of assassinations in the circles of Iraqi opposition forces, adding the Iraqi national reconciliation movement is considered as one of the main opposition Iraqi organization.