For First Time, Iraq Releases Name of 60 Most Wanted Suspects

  • 2/5/2018
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Iraqi authorities released for the first time on Sunday the names of 60 most wanted figures for belonging to the ISIS terrorist group, al-Qaeda and the dissolved Baath Party. A name that stands out on the list is the daughter of late leader Saddam Hussein, Raghad, who is living in Jordan. It also features 28 suspected ISIS, 12 from al-Qaeda and 20 Baathists, giving details of the roles they allegedly play in their organizations, crimes of which they are suspected and in most cases, photographs. All are Iraqis apart from Lebanese Maan Bashour, the former secretary general of the Arab National Conference who is accused of recruiting fighters to “participate in terrorist activities” in Iraq. Commenting on his blacklisting, he told Asharq Al-Awsat that the development “was not new”. He explained that his name was first included on a most wanted list compiled by US authorities and released in July 2006. That list included the names of people accused of supporting the Iraqi resistance. “Since then, an Arab and Lebanese campaign of solidarity was set up to support me,” said Bashour. “The accusations are not based on real evidence. We support the Iraqi resistance on the political and media levels,” he continued. “Charges that we are recruiting fighters are false. I defy them to present one shred of evidence to prove their claims,” he demanded. Furthermore, he stated that his current political position does not oppose Iraqi authorities, interpreting his blacklisting as an attack against “Arab national activities in favor of Iraq and Palestine.” He speculated that the new designation against him can be attributed to US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the efforts he has been undertaking to counter this decision. The name of elusive ISIS head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is notably absent from the list. A senior security official contacted by AFP declined to explain why. "These are the suspects most wanted by the judicial authorities and the security services," the official said. "This is the first time we publish these names which, until now were secret." The ISIS terrorists the document lists are accused of fighting in Iraqs second city Mosul and the surrounding province of Nineveh, as well as in the provinces of Kirkuk, Diyala and Anbar. ISIS seized a third of Iraqs territory during a lightning advance in 2014, before being beaten back by security forces backed by a United States-led coalition. ISIS terrorists on the list seen by AFP on Sunday are accused of murders, bombings, attacks on security forces and the financing and transport of weapons. The list includes senior members of the group, among them Fawwaz Mohammad Mutlaq, a former officer in Saddams Fedayeen paramilitary organization who later became a member of ISIS military council. This the first time that Iraqi authorities reveal the names of suspects wanted on “terrorism” charges. Director of Interpol’s Arab and International Police in Iraq Sadeq Faraj Abdulrahman told Asharq Al-Awsat that there some 400 suspects wanted by Iraq and who are currently outside the country. They are wanted on various charges, including terrorism and corruption. Some 60 of these suspects have been arrested, while Red Notices have been issued against others, he explained. On Sunday’s list and the absence of Baghdadi’s name, he said that he is already wanted and a Red Notice had been issued against him in the past, so there is no need for a new one. He is wanted internationally and not just by Iraq, he went on to say.

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