Saddam's female assassin squads

On this day in WND history, seven years ago:

In an amazing and previously unreported story filed from Copenhagen, Denmark, WND international correspondent Anthony LoBaido revealed that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had sent hordes of female assassins to Denmark as well as other European destinations to wipe out Kurdish refugees and defectors fleeing Iraq, and even had installed spies on the Danish Refugee Council, according to the Danish Red Cross.

The assassins infiltrated Iraqi opposition circles to kill and maim leading Kurdish and Iraqi opposition leaders by means ranging from poisonings to car crashes. Graduates of a two-month training course held outside Baghdad, these "Mata Hari" hit squads were code-named Operation Falcon. According to British intelligence, they were staffed by belly dancers, actresses and artists who claim to be seeking asylum.

"The regime is using women because they would raise less suspicion," said Dr. Ayad Allawi, secretary general of the London-based Iraqi National Accord and a former ally of Saddam. "In our culture, we don't expect women to spy or kill. This is the most substantial operation we have seen for years."

Hussein's Trial Sees Videotapes of Chemical Attacks on Kurds

Images of villagers dying from a chemical attack on Kurds were shown in Baghdad on Tuesday at the trial of Saddam Hussein. Hussein is facing charges of genocide in connection with the deaths of 50,000 Kurds in a campaign that ultimately killed 180,000 Kurds in the 1980s. Shot in April 1987 and May 1988, the videotape shows attack helicopters flying low over the mountains as villagers scatter. Women cluster near tents, crying as white smoke gathers. The aftermath of the chemical attacks was seen in videotape that showed bodies frozen in death.

Kurds and Jews

Jews do have friends in the Middle East and we're not as alone as we may think. Take the Kurds, for example, the largest stateless people in the world. The Kurdish affinity toward Israel is so strong, that even a former leader of the militant organization, Ansar al-Islam, an al Qaeda affliliate, likened the plight of the Kurds to that of the Jews during his deportation hearing in Norway. Rather than consider us the despised "Zionist entity" he regards Israel as the Jewish homeland. This is profound.

From Krekar draws parallels to Israel:

Former Ansar Al-Islam leader mullah Krekar compared his goal for Kurds with the establishment of the state of Israel as he testified in his trial to overturn a decision to expel him from Norway.

Before beginning his testimony the mullah kissed the Koran and said that Norwegian authorities were justified in their investigation but explained that he felt a victim of religious persecution.

"I perceive this as being due to my faith. Sixty years ago it was the Jews in this situation, 27 years ago it was the Shia Muslims. Today they all have power in their countries," mullah Krekar said.