Iraqi Al Qaeda leaders

Would it be surprising to note that former high ranking Iraqi military or intelligence officers are now high ranking Al Qaeda leaders? It shouldn't be. After all, we know that Saddam assembled the Saddam Fedayeen as a force of terrorist fighters which functioned pretty much as Al Qaeda does today.

High ranking al Qaeda leaders who have been caught or killed have turned out to be former high ranking military or intelligence officers in Saddam Hussein's regime.

...Rafid Ibrahim Fattah - He traveled throughout Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq for the last 15 years, forming a relationship with al-Qaida in 1999. He served as a liaison between terrorist networks, as an operations officer coordinating the activities of the various terrorist groups, and as a security chief for a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan, according to the U.S. military.  Mark Eichenlaub, newsblaze

What you may not know is that the Fedayeen Saddam were not formed to combat the invasion of George W. Bush, in fact, they were formed in 1995.

The paramilitary Fedayeen Saddam (Saddam's `Men of Sacrifice') was founded by Saddam's son Uday in 1995. In September 1996 Uday was removed from command of the Fedayeen.

...The Fedayeen, with a total strength reportedly between 18,000 and 40,000 troops, was composed of young soldiers recruited from regions loyal to Saddam. The unit reported directly to the Presidential Palace, rather than through the army command, and was responsible for patrol and anti-smuggling duties. Though at times improperly termed an "elite" unit, the Fedayeen was a politically reliable force that could be counted on to support Saddam against domestic opponents. It started out as a rag-tag force of some 10,000-15,000 "bullies and country bumpkins." They were supposed to help protect the president and Uday, and carry out much of the police's dirty work. globalsecurity.org

What you also may not know is that Zarqawi and Al Qaeda did not introduce the practice of beheading dissenters and infidels in Iraq, the Fedayeen were carrying out the same kind of beheadings throughout 2000 and 2001.

The Fidayi Saddam included a special unit known as the death squadron, whose masked members performed certain executions, including in victims' homes. The Fidayi operated completely outside the law, above and outside political and legal structures.

It is difficult to establish the exact date when the beheading of women campaign began in Iraq. Witness accounts report the public beheading of women from June 2000 through to May 2001. Saddam’s Fidayi conducted the beheading operations, which took place in two stages. Accompanied by the leaders of the Ba’th party, the Fidayi made a night raid on the district. The latter was gone through with a fine toothcomb to eliminate any hints of revolt and in order to discover any weapons. The population was summoned for the next day at prayer time. They arrived at the stated hour at the home of the victim, who was dragged out in the clothes she is wearing. She was then stretched out on an iron bench, her head hanging down, in front of her children, her family and the whole population of the district. The executioner and his assistants were dressed in brown bearing the logo ‘Saddam’s Fidayi’ and usually did not come from the district or the region. The Feddayi detailed to carry out the beheading took his sword held out by an assistant and cut’s the victim’s head off. According to the scenes described, the head was exhibited or the body and the head are thrown into black boxes and taken away. Women belonging to families suspected of being hostile to the regime or whose members are in prison as “opponents” (the term of course covers a considerable number of definitions) were particularly targeted. globalsecurity.org

Mark Eichenlaub details many of the former Baathist's who are now Al Qaeda members:

Muhammed Hila Hammad Ubaydi - aka Abu Ayman, Until his capture, Abu Ayman, the former aide to the Chief of Staff of Intelligence during the Saddam Hussein regime for 30 years, was the leader of the Secret Islamic Army in the Northern Babil Province . Abu Ayman has strong ties to terror leader Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, still considered the head of Al-Qaeda in Iraq .

Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri - possibly dead, "The former vice chairman of Saddam's Baathist Revolutionary Command Council. He swore fealty to Zarqawi last year and commands a significant element of the Baathist/al Qaeda converts. H has significant links in Syria and is an important source of funding for al Qaeda in Iraq (link)." Mark Eichenlaub, newsblaze

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