Saddam Hussein is reported to have placed his defence minister and close relative under house arrest in an apparent attempt to prevent a coup.
Iraqi opposition newspapers, citing sources in Baghdad, claimed on Monday that the head of the Iraqi military, Lieutenant-General Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Jabburi Tai, was now effectively a prisoner in his home in the capital.
The minister's apparent detention, also reported by Cairo-based al-Ahram newspaper, is surprising. He is not only a member of President Saddam's inner circle, but also a close relative by marriage.His daughter is married to Qusay Hussein, the dictator's 36-year-old younger son - considered by many as his heir apparent.
Reports of the general's arrest came amid signs of growing apprehension in Baghdad that the Iraqi army, including the elite Republican Guard, might desert in the event of an attack on Iraq.
An independent source in Baghdad confirmed that General Sultan was in custody. "He continues to attend cabinet meetings and appear on Iraqi TV, so that everything seems normal," said the source, a high-ranking official with connections to Iraq's ruling Baath party. "But in reality his house and family are surrounded by Saddam's personal guards. They are there so he can't flee."
The source also claimed that several other high-ranking military and government officials had been arrested in the past few days.
The Saudi regime has been taking the lead in attempting to foment unrest within Baghdad. Under a proposal put forward by the Saudi foreign minister, Saud al-Faisal, all but President Saddam's innermost circle would be granted immunity from war crimes prosecution - in the hope that such a guarantee would encourage senior members of the Government to stage a coup.
General Sultan has been one of President Saddam's most trusted colleagues. In the humiliating aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War, it was he who signed a ceasefire deal between the Iraqi army and US-led coalition forces.
The fear that Iraq's regular army of 700,000 might refuse to fight invading American troops has prompted President Saddam to take drastic measures. Last week he reportedly deployed a ruthless militia of Iranian fighters to several key cities to crush any popular uprisings. The Mujahideen-e-Khalq - a violent Iranian opposition group based in Iraq - was sent to defend urban areas, including Baghdad, Kurdish newspapers reported.
Hmmm. I'm not so sure that the Saudis have the power to grant anybody anything like immunity from war crimes prosecution and I thought they wanted Saddam to go into exile, but a coup against him will do just as well.
Looks like Saddam's good feelings weren't as buoyed by all those pro-him "peace" demonstrations this weekend as we all thought!
Saddam, this is terrible for morale among the troops to do this to your top commander!
And it doesn't like too hopeful for your son's future as ruler of Iraq and that of his wife or her father, either...which I think is marvelous!
This is a very good sign that we've won already and we haven't even attacked yet.
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