U.S. Forces Capture Top Saddam Aide

Mahmud, who was so close to Saddam that some considered him the regime’s real number two, is believed to be one of the few people, if not the only person, who knew the president’s whereabouts at all times.

A lieutenant general, he was handpicked by Saddam from his elite bodyguard unit to become his personal secretary and national security adviser, giving him unparalleled access to the regime’s most closely guarded secrets, officials said.

"He was Saddam’s key adviser and his responsibility included overseeing basically any issue of importance to Saddam, particularly regime security," said a U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The U.S. Central Command, which announced his capture, made him the "ace of diamonds" in its deck of playing cards featuring Iraq’s 55 most wanted former officials. He was number four on the list after Saddam and his sons, Uday and Qusay.

A U.S. defense official, also speaking on condition that he not be identified, said Mahmud "is probably one of (Saddam’s) most trusted people, and there is a good chance he knows quite a bit."

A British government dossier on top Iraqi officials said Mahmud "is regarded by some as the real number-two figure in the Iraqi leadership," as he controlled access to Saddam and could override government decisions.
That could make him key to the United States’ frustrated search for alleged weapons of mass destruction, as well as to its efforts to account for or capture Saddam if he is still alive.

The circumstances surrounding Mahmud’s capture were not disclosed, but it came amid a series of raids north of Baghdad.

"We continue to work hard, and I believe over the next three to four days, you will hear much more about the number of senior Iraqi individuals we have detained here over the last couple of days," said Major General Ray Odierno, the commander of the U.S. Army’s 4th Infantry Division.

Raids on two farmhouses near Tikrit, Saddam’s hometown, turned up millions of dollars in cash, jewels and gems, as well as sniper weapons, equipment and uniforms associated with Saddam’s personal guards.

Among the 15 to 20 people seized in the raid was a former bodyguard of Saddam, said Odierno, who did not identify him.

The raid netted 8.5 million dollars in cash, 300 million to 400 million dinars and uncounted euros and British pounds. A man tracked fleeing the scene by an unmanned spy plane was captured in a truck with 800,000 dollars.

Odierno claimed that former members of the regime appeared to be paying poor Iraqis a bounty for each American soldier killed.

More than a dozen U.S. troops have been killed by hostile fire since May 1, when major combat operations were declared over, raising concerns about a swelling resistance.

But Odierno said the attacks were "militarily insignificant" and a sign of desperation as U.S. forces turn up the pressure on members of the former regime and its security forces.

"I think they’re becoming less and less organized," he said. "The more money we seize, the more individuals we take into custody, we continue to really, I think, have an impact on the medium to senior level of the individuals that remain," he said.