US forces release two former Iraqi officials (playing-card #16)

[Barrett808]

Baghdad, March, 8 (BNA) The US Forces in Iraq have recently released Former Iraqi Minister of Military Production , Abdultawab Haweesh, and Foreign Undersecretary, Saad Al Faisal.

Radio Sawa said Al Huwaish and Al Faisal left Baghdad soon after being released and headed to a European capital. It is noteworthy that the former Minister of Military production was on the list of the 55 most wanted officials of the former Iraqi regime.

http://english.bna.bh/?ID=42208

Almost certainly the result of "negotiations with terrorists."

On edit: Added playing card number, courtesy of UpInArms.

[UpInArms]

1. From Number 16 to "he's free!"

http://www.al-bab.com/arab/countries/iraq/mostwanted.htm

16. Abdul Tawab Mullah Hwaish - Minister of Military Industrialisation.

[Javaman]

13. Damn what do I do now with my iraqi freedom cards...

now that they are missing these guys? I can't play solitaire with only 50 cards?????

drip drip drip, the stupidity of this whole war fails apart one page 30 buried story at a time.

I hate that fucking idiot*

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. I guess they weren't really all that bad after all.

[xultar]

3. Was it the Jack of I told you mutherfucker?

[redqueen]

4. haaahahahahaaha

Nice!

[pinniped]

5. The only one that counts is #2, but there's no chance in hell....

he will ever get caught. He can dematerialize like Harry Houdini.

[Barrett808]

6. This follows the release of Dr. Germ and Mrs. Anthrax in December

I wonder what we're getting in return for these deals.

[Poll_Blind]

14. I doubt anything- I think there simply was no evidence against them.

If they had any use to this administration they would be held indefinitely until such time as they were nolonger needed. Which looks like it may have occurred.

PB

[Barrett808]

15. Au contraire, I suspect all these "detainee releases" are part of deals...

...with the insurgency. That's the game, and the sole reason hostages (e.g., wives of Sunni generals) are held. Whenever you see a report that we've "handed over security to Sunni sheiks," that means we've surrendered territory to the insurgency. Hostage releases and money are often part of the deal.

All of this is part of the ongoing withdrawal, an attempt to arrange a withdrawal under a negotiated cease-fire. This is ever-so-much more appealing than a withdrawal under fire. And it seems to be working. US troop casualty rates have fallen since the beginning of the year. Not because the insurgency is "on the run," but because it has already won.

All inference and speculation, of course, but I think it's a defensible argument.

[maddezmom]

7. kick

[MaineDem]

8. U.S. releases members of Saddam's regime

BAGHDAD, Iraq --The U.S. military has released two senior members of Saddam Hussein's former regime, including a deputy prime minister, after finding they were not involved in crimes against humanity, an Iraqi official said Thursday.

Abdel Tawab Mullah Huweish, a former deputy prime minister and minister of military industrialization, and Saeed Abdul-Majid al-Faisal, former foreign ministry undersecretary, were released last month, said Justice Ministry official Busho Ibrahim Ali.

Ali, the ministry undersecretary, said the two were released Feb. 23.

Huweish, who had been in custody since May 2, 2003, was one of the 55 most-wanted members of Saddam's regime.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/03/09/us_releases_members_of_saddams_regime/?rss_id=Boston.com+%2F+News

[Roland99]

9. Setting the stage for Saddam to take all the heat.

[DoYouEverWonder]

10. So which playing cards were these two?

Seems the whole deck of cards is crumbling.

[catnhatnh]

11. So under Sadaam,unlike the US....

all the "Bad Apples" are on top of the command structure???

[thecrow]

12. Maybe, then, it won't look like we did it when Saddam "escapes"

eom