Iraq Report: September 15, 2003

ANSAR AL-ISLAM SAYS IT IS REGROUPING, CALLS FOR FATWA AGAINST U.S. The terrorist group Ansar Al-Islam has reportedly issued a 4 September statement noting the group's reorganization and agenda, "Jamawar" reported on 8 September. According to the statement, the group is not headed by Abu Abdallah al-Shafi'i. The group claims that its members were scattered due to the U.S.-led war in Iraq and that it needed several months to relocate the family members of Ansar fighters, to treat their wounded, and to regroup after hiding in the mountains.

The statement also noted that Ansar's focus has changed -- the group intends to launch its "activities" not just in northern Iraq, but in all areas of the country. The statement also called on Iraqi religious leaders to issue a fatwa against U.S. forces and those who collaborate with the coalition.

Meanwhile, U.S. and Kurdish Peshmerga forces continue to arrest Ansar militants in northern Iraq. Cairo's MENA reported on 6 September that a "wide-scale" campaign launched a day earlier resulted in the arrest of 16 Ansar fighters. The campaign was reportedly launched two days after it was discovered that a bridge in Kirkuk was booby trapped with some 1,200 kilograms of explosives, MENA reported. (Kathleen Ridolfo)

CAR BOMB KILLS TWO, WOUNDS 52 IN IRBIL. A car bomb exploded outside a house being used by U.S. defense personnel in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil on 9 September, international press reported. According to Reuters, witnesses said that a four-wheel drive vehicle stopped abruptly in front of the house and exploded with the driver inside. Local residents said that U.S. intelligence agents were using the house. A U.S. military spokesman initially referred to it as a "safe house," but later statements by military officials would only confirm that the house was used by defense personnel.

An Iraqi child and a Kurdish fighter were killed in the incident. Some 47 Iraqis were injured, as well as six Department of Defense personnel, Reuters cited a military spokeswoman as saying in Baghdad. Irbil is a Kurdish-dominated city located some 300 kilometers north of Baghdad. The Kurdistan Regional Government's interior minister, Karim Sinjari, told a 10 September press conference that an investigation is under way to identify those in the incident, Kurdistan Satellite TV reported. He added that his department would release information regarding the investigation as it becomes available. (Kathleen Ridolfo)

KIRKUK POLICE RECRUITING TURKOMANS. The Kirkuk police department has launched a recruitment drive to bring more Turkomans into the police force, Irbil's "Turkomaneli" reported on 7 September. According to the report, the city aims to have a police force of no less than 40 percent Turkomans. Thus far, around 110 Turkomans have joined the force, leaving around 500 positions for Turkoman officers open. (Kathleen Ridolfo)

OVER 10,000 ITEMS STILL MISSING FROM IRAQI MUSEUM. Over 10,000 items looted five months ago from the Iraqi National Museum (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," 19 April 2003) after the downfall of the Hussein regime remain missing, U.S. Marine Colonel Matthew Bogdanos wrote in a recent report to U.S. Central Command, Reuters reported on 10 September. Bogdanos, a New York City homicide prosecutor, is leading the investigation of the museum losses. In his report, he noted that more than 750 artifacts have been recovered in Jordan, Italy, the United States, and United Kingdom. "The majority of the work remaining, that of tracking down the missing pieces, will likely take years," Bogdanos told a Pentagon briefing. "It will require the cooperative efforts of all nations to include legislatures, law enforcement officers, and art communities," he added.

According to Reuters, the museum housed a collection of priceless Sumerian, Greek, and Roman artifacts. Some of the most-treasured stolen items were returned by Iraqis under a "no-questions asked" amnesty program, Bogdanos said. The U.S. military has issued a poster identifying 30 of the most-wanted items stolen from the museum. He said that in all, some 3,411 items have been recovered -- half through the amnesty program and the rest through raids and seizures inside (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," 2 May and 17 July 2003) and outside Iraq (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," 30 May 2003). (Kathleen Ridolfo)

GOVERNING COUNCIL APPOINTS CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR. The Iraqi Governing Council appointed economist Sinan Muhammad Rida al-Shibibi as Iraq's first post-Hussein central bank governor, AP reported on 10 September. He was a member of the opposition's Follow-Up and Coordination Committee organized in December 2002 to prepare for a post-Hussein Iraq (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," 23 December 2002). Al-Shibibi holds a master's degree in economics from Manchester University and a doctorate in economics from Bristol University. He worked for the Iraqi Planning Ministry until 1980 when he joined the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and has worked as a consultant for UNCTAD since his 2001 retirement.

His appointment comes just weeks before an international donors conference on Iraq, scheduled to be held in Madrid on 24 October. Fifty nations and international organizations are slated to attend the conference. Iraqi Governing Council President for September Ahmad Chalabi, told reporters on 10 September that the council's Financial Committee is preparing proposals for development projects to present at the Madrid conference. (Kathleen Ridolfo)

IRAQI MUNITIONS SITES REMAIN VULNERABLE. U.S. officials have said that some 50 munitions sites remain vulnerable to looting due to poor security, nytimes.com reported on 6 September. The sites house explosives similar to those used in the recent bombings of the Jordanian embassy and the UN headquarters in Iraq.

An unnamed senior defense official told the daily that the quick collapse of the Iraqi military during the war had left ammunition dumps unguarded for many days and, in many cases, some sites were almost completely emptied by fleeing Iraqi soldiers and officers. "That's where a lot of the stuff has come from," the defense official said, referring to the rocket-propelled grenades, ammunition, and explosives used in attacks on coalition forces, Iraqis, and international organizations in Iraq.

An unnamed U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) official told nytimes.com that the U.S. did not have enough troops to heavily guard all of the 2,700 Iraqi munitions sites in Iraq. But Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said that, "All known Iraqi munitions sites are being secured." However, the CENTCOM official said that some sites containing bombs and missiles have been left with little security or are guarded by Iraqi guards alone, as U.S. soldiers provide stronger security on sites housing rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons.

An FBI official confirmed on 4 September that chemicals tests revealed that similar munitions were used in the 7 August bombing of the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad and the UN headquarters there on 19 August. Officials cautioned, however that it would be difficult to trace the source of explosives used in the bombings to specific sites in Iraq. UN weapons inspectors visited a number of sites housing munitions belonging to the former regime of Saddam Hussein during their nearly five months of inspections that ended in March. Details of those inspections are available on the "RFE/RL Tracking Inspections" web page (http://www.rferl.org/specials/iraq-inspec/). (Kathleen Ridolfo)

RETIRED IRAQI OFFICERS ISSUE APPEAL TO CPA FOR MORE MONEY. Retired Iraqi military officers issued an appeal through the Baghdad weekly "Al-Arab al-Yawm" on 6 September calling on Coalition Provisional Authority head L. Paul Bremer to increase their $20 per month stipend. "We had to undergo deprivation during the previous system that compelled most of us to work [hard] in unsuitable jobs in spite of our...ages, or to sell our [possessions], or even to request a return to service after [we had dreamed] of retiring," the appeal stated, adding, "All [of] that to keep our families barely alive." The appeal called the current CPA stipend "debasing" and asked that retired officers be paid a sum equal to that paid to current officers in service. It also calls on the Iraqi Governing Council to "decide suitable salaries" to ensure that retirees live in honor. "We ask the [governing] council to pay us a suitable 'service end honorarium sum' instead of the meager one which had been paid to us when we were referred to pension, in order to substitute our [severe] deprivation," the appeal demanded. (Kathleen Ridolfo)

BREMER ISSUES NEW PAY SCALE FOR STATE WORKERS. Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) head Bremer signed an order on 8 September approving a new pay scale for Iraqi government workers, according to the CPA website (http://www.cpa-iraq.org). The revised salary scale will be effective from 1 October until 30 September 2004.

Exceptions to the scale will be made for employees whose current rate of pay is higher than it would be according to the new scale, and to employees for which an exception is granted by the CPA director of management and budget, or in cases where that director has already authorized a salary scale for a public agency. As part of the government salary reform, Bremer has ordered all ministers and state-owned enterprise directors to establish salary-grade classifications for existing positions within their agencies and to present those classifications to the Ministry of Finance for review and approval. All government agencies will also be responsible for developing annual salary budgets.

The order also states that public service employees that lost their civil service positions as a result of the CPA's order on the de-Ba'athification of Iraqi society would not be entitled to retirement benefits. The seven-page document details hiring and promotion guidelines, and employment conditions for Iraqi government workers, including a salary table. (Kathleen Ridolfo)

BREMER: IRAQIS ABOUT HALF WAY TO SOVEREIGNTY. Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) head Bremer told Iraqis that they are "on the path to full sovereignty" and said that they have all but achieved the first three steps of seven laid out by the CPA to be accomplished before full sovereignty is passed to them. In a speech broadcast on 5 September he said that the first three steps -- establishing an interim Iraqi government, deciding on how to write a constitution -- have been achieved and that the third, taking control over Iraqi institutions, began when the governing council appointed 25 ministers on 2 September (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," 5 September 2003).

The other four steps are: writing a constitution, ratifying it, electing a government, and the transfer of authority from the CPA. Bremer said he could not say how long this process would take, adding that it is in the hands of the Iraqis. He also said that he has advised the governing council to establish and publish a timetable so that Iraqis could "clearly see the steps on the path to full sovereignty." The CPA head called on Iraqis to contribute to the process by helping the coalition, Iraqi police, and the governing council identify and arrest the saboteurs and terrorists who are impeding the movement towards a full, democratic and sovereign Iraq. (Kathleen Ridolfo)

CPA ESTABLISHES FACILITIES PROTECTION SERVICE. Bremer signed an order establishing the Facilities Protection Service (FPS) in Iraq on 4 September, according to the CPA website.

The FPS "is an organization of trained, armed, uniformed entities charged with providing security for ministry and governorate offices, government infrastructure, and fixed sites under the direction and control of governmental ministries and governorate administrations," the order states. Iraqi government employees employed by the ministries or governorates are eligible to serve in the FPS, as are employees of private security firms working for those entities. The ministry of interior is responsible for the FPS's training.

According to the order, the FPS organization may be known under different names, such as the "Electricity Police," the "Diplomatic Protective Services," and the "Oil Police." FPS agents have the power to apprehend persons in the act of committing a crime, fugitives, and individuals interfering in their duties. (Kathleen Ridolfo)

FOURTEEN IRAQI POLITICAL PARTIES FORM ALLIANCE. Fourteen Iraqi political parties and movements have formed an alliance called the Unified Iraqi Front, the "Al-Zaman" newspaper reported on 8 September. Faysal Sharhan al-Urs was named as honorary chairman of the grouping. According to the report, the alliance's charter calls for all political parties and forces to work towards Iraq's sovereignty and independence, to restore its pan-Arab and international role, and to promote democracy.

The alliance's members include the Democratic Constitution Party, the Movement for Building Iraq's Future, the Free Speech Party, the Islamic Iraq Movement, the Liberal Independents Movement, the Unified Nasirite Pan-Arabist Party, the Iraqi Republican Party, the New Iraq Party, the Islamic Revolution Party, the Iraqi National Bloc, the Common Destiny Party, the Independent Progressive National Movement, and the Islamic Accord Movement. (Kathleen Ridolfo)

AL-SADR CLAIMS U.S. CONDUCTING WAR AGAINST ISLAM. Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr again criticized the U.S. presence in Iraq in an interview with Rome's "La Repubblica" published on 9 September. In an interview in Al-Najaf, al-Sadr claimed that the U.S. is in Iraq "not to make war on terrorism, but on Islam," adding, "This is unacceptable. We will resist. For the time being peacefully; after that, we shall see." Asked about his Imam Al-Mahdi Army, (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," 24 July 2003) al-Sadr said, "It is a reality. We already have thousands of recruits and others are on their way. Men and women."

When questioned about his relations to Sunnis in Iraq, and whether his men would return the mosques they took over from Sunnis in recent months, he said, "They [the mosques] were ours. [Former Iraqi President] Saddam Hussein had stolen them from us and we have taken them back. If the Sunnis want to come and pray here, they can do so on [the] condition that they will follow a Shi'ite imam in prayers. We are the majority and the majority must be respected."

Al-Sadr also said that he would have to "think about" a proposal by the province's governor, Haydar al-Mayyali, that calls for a weapon permit for a small number of Muqtada's security men who protect him, his home, and his office. The proposal would serve as a compromise with the coalition, which has banned armed militias in Iraq. "Those machine guns are not needed to attack anyone but to defend ourselves," al-Sadr said, adding that the coalition "cannot take them away from us without our consent." He went on to call the Iraqi interim government illegal. (Kathleen Ridolfo)

U.S. HOLDING IRANIAN REBELS IN IRAQ. The U.S. military said on 11 September that it is holding some 3,800 Iranian rebel detainees in eastern Iraq and denied that the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) is still launching cross-border raids into Iran, Reuters reported. "Are they continuing to enter Iran? I can guarantee you that is not happening. They are contained," Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, commander of U.S. troops in Iraq, told a Baghdad press conference. The MKO is an Iranian opposition group that was based in Iraq and supported by former Iraqi President Hussein; the U.S. State Department describes the MKO as a foreign terrorist organization. Sanchez added that the detainees have been "separated from their weapons systems" and are being screened to determine their "defined end state."

COALITION FORCES CONTINUE CONFISCATING WEAPONS. Coalition forces in Iraq continue to confiscate large amounts of weapons in raids on residential dwellings, random patrols, and tips from citizens, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has reported in recent days.

A 6 September press release noted that raids on possible safe houses and homes of suspected regime loyalists in Al-Fallujah, and patrols in the area, have netted over 10,000 artillery and mortar rounds, mines, ammunition, small arms, hand grenades, and around two dozen missiles.

"Confiscated weapons included [more than a thousand] 122-millimeter artillery rounds, 928 mortar rounds, 8,991 rounds of 23-millimeter [ammunition], 28 AK-47 [assault rifles], two pistols, 10 antitank missiles, 45 antitank mines, eight surface-to-air missiles, four kegs of gunpowder, 300 rounds of 130-millimeter high-explosive ammunition, three boxes of hand grenades, 20 high explosive antitank munitions, 125 100-millimeter tank rounds, 134 rocket-propelled grenade rounds, two sniper rifles, 30 rounds of 37-millimeter antiaircraft ammunition, one improvised explosive device, and one SA-7 [portable surface-to-air missile] system."

Another cache of weapons was uncovered near Mosul when local Iraqis led soldiers to the site, a 6 September press release noted. Meanwhile, Task Force Iron Horse soldiers report progress in their area of command: northeast of Ba'qubah soldiers uncovered a cache of weapons when they inspected a taxi after the driver acted suspiciously, a 5 September press release noted. Meanwhile, a cache was uncovered northwest of Tikrit and destroyed by an explosive ordnance disposal team, the same press release stated. The details of the weapons confiscated in those incidents is on the CENTCOM website. In related news, ITAR-TASS reported on 11 September that Kazakh soldiers in Iraq have defused more than 1,000 artillery shells, 100 antipersonnel mines, and 10 surface-to-air missiles since their arrival in Iraq in August. (Kathleen Ridolfo)

PURPORTED AL-QAEDA TAPES SURFACE. A videotape containing footage of Al-Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri was aired by Al-Jazeera Television on 10 September, the eve of the second anniversary of the 11 September attacks by the group. In an accompanying audiotape, al-Zawahiri addresses "America and its Crusade campaign," saying, "We emphasize to you that what you have seen so far are only the first skirmishes and the beginning of the clash. The real battle, however, has not started yet. So, prepare yourselves to be punished for your crimes. We call upon you to honestly contemplate and review your crimes against Muslims, and then to ask your chief criminals [Bush and Blair] about the real size of your losses in Iraq and Afghanistan." Al-Zawahiri goes on to warn "the mothers of the crusader soldiers" that if they wish to see their sons, they should "ask their governments to return them before they return" to their mothers in coffins.

Addressing Iraqi "brother mujahedin," he says, "We beseech God to bless their sacrifices and courage in fighting the Crusaders," adding, "God is with you and the entire nation supports you. So rely on God, and pounce on the Americans just as lions pounce on their prey, and bury them in Iraq's graveyard." The voice on the tape has not been independently confirmed to be that of al-Zawahiri. (Kathleen Ridolfo)

ARAB LEAGUE GRANTS GOVERNING COUNCIL A SEAT AT THE TABLE. The Arab League unanimously approved a request by the Iraqi Governing Council to participate in the pan-Arab organization's ministerial meeting in Cairo on 9 September. "The Arab League works within a specific strategic context, which is removing the scars inflicted on the Iraqis over recent months...So, contacts will begin with the United Nations, and with the Iraqis, and a specific Iraqi representation will be accepted in an interim phase," Arab League Secretary-General Amr Musa told reporters after the meeting, MENA reported.

Addressing his counterparts at the Cairo meeting, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said, "I assure you that Iraq will restore, as soon as possible...its role in its Arab environment...It will also work for achieving stability in the region through a new foreign policy based on the principles of international law, good neighborliness, mutual respect...[and] the renunciation of wars and aggression." He went on to say that the Iraqi Governing Council and the Council of Ministers are "looking forward to your support for the sake of reconstructing the destruction [that] the former regime left in Iraq." He called on Arab ministers to lend their support at the international donors conference on Iraq, which will be held on 24 October in Madrid. Zebari also stressed Iraq's commitment to Arab solidarity, but his presence at the table said more to them about the changing face of Iraq than any words he could have spoken because Iraq's new foreign minister is not an Arab, but a Kurd. Al-Jazeera carried live coverage of Zebari's address. (Kathleen Ridolfo)

KUWAIT GIVES POWER GENERATORS TO IRAQ. Kuwait has sent seven of eight power generators that it committed as aid to southern Iraq, Kuwait's "Arab Times" reported on 11 September. The generators are part of a larger aid package, and are capable of generating 32 megawatts of electricity -- enough to supply the entire city of Al-Basrah and end the city's reliance on the main power grid, which has been targeted in several attacks by militants in the months since the Hussein regime fell. Turkish press reports in early September indicated that Turkey will also help aid Iraq by selling electricity to the country beginning this month (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," 5 September 2003). (Kathleen Ridolfo)

IRAQI MAIL WILL GO THROUGH KUWAIT. The Iraqi Governing Council and the Kuwaiti government have reached an agreement whereby Kuwait will act as a third party for postal exchange between Iraq and the rest of the world, KUNA reported on 9 September. Kuwaiti Communications Ministry Undersecretary Hamid Khaja confirmed the agreement to the news agency. The Universal Postal Union will process regular letters from Iraq, but not registered mail, express mail, or parcels, according to the report. (Kathleen Ridolfo)

GUL COMMENTS ON POSSIBLE TURKISH TROOP DEPLOYMENT. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told reporters en route to Italy on 6 September that Turkish and U.S. officials have held "very frank and positive" discussions on the possible deployment of Turkish troops to Iraq, Ankara's Anatolia news agency reported. Gul said that U.S. officials have reserved the right to choose the region to which Turkish troops will be deployed, and contend that a Turkish delegation that examined the possible deployment concluded that there is a lot of confidence among Iraqis that Turkey can contribute to the stability of Iraq. Speaking about U.S. troops, Gul said, "They don't know the region and they have a different psychology...[Iraqi people] know that we will go there to bring peace and to meet their needs, not as part of an invasion."

Meanwhile, Istanbul's NTV reported on 10 September that should Turkey decide to send troops, more than 10,000 soldiers would be deployed. As part of their peacekeeping mission, the soldiers would also participate in aid and reconstruction efforts, and is planning to repair 50 mosques and schools, as well as a number of hospitals and administration buildings. (Kathleen Ridolfo)

IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL MEMBER SAYS UN ROLE 'CRUCIAL.' Adnan Pachachi met with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 11 September to discuss the UN's role in postwar Iraq, Reuters reported the same day. "In my opinion, the role of the United Nations is crucial in the restoration and helping of the political process in Iraq," council member Pachachi told reporters following the meeting in Geneva. The foreign ministers of the UN Security Council's five permanent member states will meet with Annan in Geneva on 13 September to discuss Iraq (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 September 2003).

ANNAN CALLS PERMANENT FIVE SECURITY COUNCIL FOREIGN MINISTERS TO GENEVA. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan host the foreign ministers of the permanent five UN Security Council member states at a meeting in Geneva on 13 September to discuss the U.S.-proposed draft resolution on Iraq, the UN News Center reported. "The Secretary-General hopes that the meeting will enable the permanent members to identify important points of convergence with the aim of ultimately allowing the full Council to arrive at a consensus that will accelerate the return to stability and the early restoration of Iraqi national sovereignty," a statement by UN spokesman Fred Eckhard reportedly stated before the meeting.

AS FRANCE, GERMANY, RUSSIA OFFER DEAL ON IRAQ. Three UN Security Council members that vehemently opposed the U.S.-led war in Iraq -- France, Russia, and Germany (which holds a temporary seat) have offered a deal to the U.S. for their involvement in Iraq's postwar reconstruction. Under the deal, the three nations would not object to the United States' military leadership over a multinational force, but the U.S. would need to downgrade its civilian control over the country and give more power to Iraqis and the United Nations, Reuters reported on 11 September. The three states submitted amendments to a U.S. draft resolution to Security Council members on 10 September ahead of the 13 September foreign ministers meeting in Geneva.

According to Reuters, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell appeared to reject the offer outright, telling Al-Jazeera Television "Suggestions that...all we have to do is get up tomorrow morning and find an Iraqi who is passing by and give him the government [and] say, 'You're now in charge and Ambassador (Paul) Bremer and the American army are leaving,' that's not an acceptable solution." The United States submitted its draft resolution to the Security Council on 3 September (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 and 5 September 2003). (Kathleen Ridolfo)

U.K., DENMARK DEPLOYING ADDITIONAL FORCES TO IRAQ. The United Kingdom and Denmark have announced that they will deploy additional forces to Iraq in the coming weeks. In a statement posted on the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) website, the U.K. announced that the British divisional commander in the region is currently conducting a formal review of U.K. forces and resources in Iraq, and has identified an immediate requirement for two battalions and some additional specialist personnel, vehicles, and equipment to be deployed to assist U.K. forces there.

The 2nd Battalion Light Infantry will assist in the support of current U.K. operations in southern Iraq, and assist the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in "offering additional protection," while the 1st Battalion Royal Green Jackets will enable the Multinational Division South East (MND--SE) to increase force protection and accelerate the training of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps. The battalion will also work to improve the MND--SE's information-gathering capability, the announcement noted. "We plan to maintain the deployment of these units until around November, providing an interim additional capability to our commanders in theatre. Additional units would deploy to replace them in theatre if the requirement remained," it added.

The statement further noted that the U.K. foresees additional tasks in the near future that will require military resources, specifically, military support for infrastructure work, stating, "The military capabilities needed will be identified as the detail of the plan's implementation takes shape." London's "Daily Telegraph" reported on 9 September that the initial deployment would be around 1,400 troops. As many as 3,000 troops are expected to eventually make their way to Iraq. The U.K. currently has about 10,000 troops there.

Meanwhile, Denmark will send an additional 90 soldiers to Iraq, Foreign Minister Per Stig Moller and Defense Minister Svend Aage Jensby told the country's Foreign Affairs Council on 9 September, Copenhagen's "Berlingske Tidende" reported on the same day. The deployment will assist Danish troops already on the ground to secure their force against increasing crime and unrest, according to the report. (Kathleen Ridolfo)

U.S. INDICTS SON OF IRAQI EX-DIPLOMAT IN NEW YORK. A second son of a former Iraqi diplomat in New York has been indicted on charges of aiding Iraqi intelligence officials in locating Iraqi dissidents in the U.S. that were hostile to the Hussein regime, nytimes.com reported on 6 September. According to federal prosecutors, Wisam Numan al-Anbuge, 24, was indicted. His older brother, Raed, was charged in April with failing to register with the U.S. Justice Department as a foreign agent after it was discovered that he had been working for Iraqi intelligence since January 2001. The nytimes.com reported that the elder brother had met with Iraqi intelligence officers posted to the Iraqi mission in New York City and had identified dissidents for them. According to the Wisam al-Anbuge indictment, the younger brother was charged after it was discovered that he provided Iraqi intelligence officials with information on the location of two dissidents in 2001. He also is alleged to have lied to FBI officials about his activities. Both men pled "not guilty" to the charges. The father of the men, Rukan al-Anbuge, served as a diplomat in New York in the 1990s. (Kathleen Ridolfo)