Given up for dead a year ago, Izzet el-Duri launches Iraqi and Saudi revolt against Iran
In an Al Arabiya video, the former commander of Saddam Hussein’s army slams the US and the "Iranian domination" in Iraq. With "religious" overtones, says hunt is on for "Iran's collaborators", in alliance with Saudi Arabia. He is considered one of the leaders of jihadists conquest of Mosul and Nineveh Plain.
Baghdad (AsiaNews) - Former Iraqi Vice President under Saddam Hussein, Izzet el-Duri, given up for dead in 2015, reappeared yesterday in a video in which he urges Iraqis to rebel against the "Iranian domination" in the nation and to ally themselves Saudi led coalition. The video was broadcast by the pan-Arab Al Arabiya, close to Saudi Arabia, and posted on You Tube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT5pn5zayW4) on the Youtube page of the Saudi newspaper Ukaz.
According to reports from the Iraqi and Western press in 2015, Izzet El Duri died in the east Iraqi province of Salah Eddin, near the Allas oil well.
The international US-led coalition that invaded Iraq, had drawn a deck of cards with pictures of the 55 most wanted of the Baathist regime. Izzet el-Duri was the "king " clubs, among the top six most wanted men.
After the liberation of Iraq by the coalition, Izzet el-Duri disappeared and a ransom of 10 million dollars to anyone who would capture or kill him proved fruitless. Izzet El Duri led the resistance north of Baghdad in 2003 by creating the Army Nakshabandi, active mainly in the Dora area, carrying out military incursions against the government that succeeded Saddam and which he considered stacked with "traitors and collaborators with the invaders."
The announcement Izzet el-Duri’s death in 2015 as a result of "intense fighting" conducted by the Iraqi army and popular armed groups, had been commented at the time, as a "major blow" against the militants of Salah Eddin province. Izzet el-Duri is believed to have been one of the commanders who led the Isis militiamen to their victorious conquest of Mosul and Nineveh Plain.
In yesterday’s video, the former vice-president, a Sunni, appeals to the Iraqi people to side with the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia, in fighting against Iranian hegemony in the region.
Here is the complete translation of his speech:
"We consider that all that Iran is doing today in Iraq, the actions of its agents, its militias and its military and security organs is the fault of the US administration. It is important to take action to save Iraq and the Iraqi people from the hegemony, domination and occupation by Iran and stop the flow of blood, destruction, demolition and demographic change [preventing] further clashes and fighting".
"O sons of Iraq, o knights of resistance, if you do not join the Arab front, fight under the banner of the Arab coalition led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, sooner or later you will be burned by the Persian fire and you will be cursed by Allah and history".
"There are only two ways to drive out the Persians and liberate them from Yemen: the first, the safest and fastest is to oblige Iran and its agents to submit to the resolutions of the UN Security Council issued in this regard and [follow] the conclusions issued by the national dialogue under the patronage of the legitimate national government and the Council of Cooperation of the Arab Gulf nations. The second way is to step up the hunt for Iran’s collaborators, putting an end to their power and capabilities". (PB)
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11/08/2017 20:05
