A Debka Flash - Debkafile

A Debka Flash - Debkafile is reporting that there may just be nobody at the wheel in Iraq today:

In a move that smacked of panic, Iraqi intelligence agents went round the capital impounding cell phones to cut off contact with the outside world as wild rumors swirled around the fate of Saddam Hussein, his sons and his regime.

The little hard information reaching DEBKAfile’s most reliable intelligence sources is that Saddam and his sons departed Baghdad some days ago. They do not know where he went, or in what state of health, whether he traveled abroad for medical treatment or the family headed for a safe berth prepared in advance, or even if they arrived safely at their destination.

But it is safe to say that Saddam and the senior members of his family are no longer at the helm of government. Iraq is undoubtedly in the process of regime change, the main objective of the Iraq War. Anything beyond that is hazy. Other members of the Saddam regime may have seized power after the ruler himself departed.

Now, this next part is an intrigueing twist - yesterday, there were rumors, which the Administration and Pentagon quashed immediately, that the US and Iraq were involved in secret peace negotiations via some kind of intermediary.

If the Debka story is true, it could give a motivation to the "negotiation" angle.

The new ruling caste may be divided between a faction negotiating terms of surrender with the Americans and a second, which is determined to fight on. The whole truth of the day’s events on April 2 may never be fully discovered. The war may come to an abrupt end, but not the Iraq crisis which promises more upheaval ahead.

As the guys from Powerline say, Debka is usually pretty reliable, often reporting news that seems farcical because it's so far ahead of the pack (like their report around Christmas that indicated US, UK, Australian, Jordanian, Turkish and Iranian Special Forces were already in action in Kurdistan and the Marshes; except for the Iranians, this story was largely confirmed by the major US media not too long ago.

So take what you need and leave the rest. But in this case, pray they're right. This could end the war very quickly.

This story via Powerline, which has been absolutely on fire these last few days.

Posted by Mitch at April 2, 2003 03:43 PM