Missing Millions Saddam’s Fortune May Still Be Financing Iraqi Insurgency

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/Investigation/saddam_fortune_031203.html

Dec. 3— Some $132 million of money that Saddam Hussein withdrew from the Iraqi Central Bank is believed to be funding the Iraqi insurgency against U.S. troops, U.S. officials told ABCNEWS.


Just hours before the first U.S. bombs fell on Baghdad, the Iraqi dictator withdrew more than a $1 billion from the Iraqi bank, which he and his followers are believed to be using today, U.S. officials told ABCNEWS.

He did it with a surprisingly simple, handwritten note found by U.S. agents in the files of the Iraqi Central Bank and obtained by ABCNEWS. Translated, the note said:


Extremely confidential
In the name of God the most merciful the most compassionate

Mr. Governor of the Iraqi central bank

We are giving, with this written note, the permission to Mr. Qusay Saddam Hussein and Mr. Hekmat Mezian Ibrahiem to receive the following amounts of money:

1- Nine hundred and twenty million American dollars.
2- Ninety million Euros.
To protect and save them from American aggression.

Take the necessary action.


Saddam Hussein
President of the republic
3/19/2003

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[Noordam]

1. Mmmm where is the money

One Saddam could be behind the fighting...

OR

Two Saddam could be on a nice island with doctors doing a MJ on his face.

[mobuto]

6. Saddam Hussein and Michael Jackson

Are they the same person?

Notice that you never see them together.

[Barrett808]

2. Drop in the bucket -- Ba'ath has billions of dollars in the shadow economy

According to Timmerman (The Death Lobby: How the West Armed Iraq), the Ba'ath had skimmed some $30 billion from Iraq's economy by 1990 and hidden it in the shadow economy. Assuming even half of that money survived into 2003, this is the best-funded insurgency in history.

[teryang]

3. Who gets more for the money?

We are 158 Billion into this conflict.

[mobuto]

7. Asymmetrical warfare

A $500 RPG can take out an $80,000 Humvee or a $12 million Blackhawk helicopter, along with a bunch of our boys, and no amount of taxpayer money will change that fact. The insurgents see a hell of a return on their investment. One can only hope that the US army will sufficiently disincentivize Iraqis from trying to realize this "opportunity."

[markses]

4. Amazingly economical spending, then

Since our own war machine needs infusions of $90 billion from time to time, while theirs seems to be running rather well with $132 million! I mean, are you fucking kidding me?

[teryang]

5. Talk about cost effective.

This type of conflict always bankrupts the colonizer.

[Nlighten1]

8. Who is selling the weapons?

From where is the supplier of this Iraqi militia?