Farouk Hijazi
Encyclopedia
Farouk Hijazi is a former Iraqi government official who served the Iraqi government during the rulership of Saddam Hussein. Hijazi served as Hussein's Director of External Operations for the Mukhabarat
, the Iraqi intelligence service for many years before becoming Iraq's ambassador to Turkey
.
The United States government claimed that while he was ambassador to Turkey, Hijazi made several trips in which he came into contact with members of al-Qaeda. Hijazi's alleged connections with high-ranking members of al-Qaeda served as one piece of information offered as evidence of an al-Qaeda link to Saddam Hussein used to justify the Second Persian Gulf War.
During the war, Hijazi attempted to seek asylum
in Syria
. In April 2003, Hijazi was arrested in Syria and escorted across the Iraq border where he was detained by Coalition Forces. According to Seymour Hersh
, a journalist and contributor to The New Yorker
, Hijazi has cooperated with Coalition Forces after his capture in order to revive the old Iraqi intelligence network in order to establish security in post-war Iraq.
In February 1999, former CIA counter-terrorism
official Vincent Cannistraro
claimed that Farouk Hijazi had invited Osama bin Laden
to live in Baghdad to be nearer to potential targets of terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Later, in 2003, Cannistraro claimed that bin Laden had rejected Hijazi's overtures, concluding that he did not want to be "exploited" by Iraq's secular regime. The Boston Globe
reported, "Indeed, intelligence agencies tracked contacts between Iraqi agents and Al Qaeda agents in the '90s in Sudan and Afghanistan, where bin Laden is believed to have met with Farouk Hijazi, head of Iraqi intelligence. But current and former intelligence specialists caution that such meetings occur just as often between enemies as friends. Spies frequently make contact with rogue groups to size up their intentions, gauge their strength, or try to infiltrate their ranks, they said." (3 August 2003). According to The Guardian
, "Most analysts believe, however, that the ideological differences between the Iraqis and the terrorists were insurmountable. The talks are thought to have ended disastrously for the Iraqis, as bin Laden rejected any kind of alliance, preferring to pursue his own policy of global jihad
, or holy war."
Mukhabarat
Mukhābarāt is the Arabic term for intelligence, as in intelligence agency. In the West, the term is sometimes used negatively, connotating repression, often by means of secret police or state terror, in Arab countries...
, the Iraqi intelligence service for many years before becoming Iraq's ambassador to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
The United States government claimed that while he was ambassador to Turkey, Hijazi made several trips in which he came into contact with members of al-Qaeda. Hijazi's alleged connections with high-ranking members of al-Qaeda served as one piece of information offered as evidence of an al-Qaeda link to Saddam Hussein used to justify the Second Persian Gulf War.
During the war, Hijazi attempted to seek asylum
Right of asylum
Right of asylum is an ancient juridical notion, under which a person persecuted for political opinions or religious beliefs in his or her own country may be protected by another sovereign authority, a foreign country, or church sanctuaries...
in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. In April 2003, Hijazi was arrested in Syria and escorted across the Iraq border where he was detained by Coalition Forces. According to Seymour Hersh
Seymour Hersh
Seymour Myron Hersh is an American Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist and author based in Washington, D.C. He is a regular contributor to The New Yorker magazine on military and security matters...
, a journalist and contributor to The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, Hijazi has cooperated with Coalition Forces after his capture in order to revive the old Iraqi intelligence network in order to establish security in post-war Iraq.
In February 1999, former CIA counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...
official Vincent Cannistraro
Vincent Cannistraro
Vincent Cannistraro was Director of Intelligence Programs for the United States National Security Council from 1984 to 1987; Special assistant for Intelligence in the Office of the Secretary of Defense until 1988; and Chief of Operations and Analysis at the Central Intelligence Agency's ...
claimed that Farouk Hijazi had invited Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
to live in Baghdad to be nearer to potential targets of terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Later, in 2003, Cannistraro claimed that bin Laden had rejected Hijazi's overtures, concluding that he did not want to be "exploited" by Iraq's secular regime. The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
reported, "Indeed, intelligence agencies tracked contacts between Iraqi agents and Al Qaeda agents in the '90s in Sudan and Afghanistan, where bin Laden is believed to have met with Farouk Hijazi, head of Iraqi intelligence. But current and former intelligence specialists caution that such meetings occur just as often between enemies as friends. Spies frequently make contact with rogue groups to size up their intentions, gauge their strength, or try to infiltrate their ranks, they said." (3 August 2003). According to The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, "Most analysts believe, however, that the ideological differences between the Iraqis and the terrorists were insurmountable. The talks are thought to have ended disastrously for the Iraqis, as bin Laden rejected any kind of alliance, preferring to pursue his own policy of global jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
, or holy war."
Footnotes
- "Moving Targets," The New Yorker Magazine, Seymour Hersh, 15 Dec 2003
- "Saddam and Osama, Alliance for Vengeance", 29 Jan 2002
- "Attack on Iraq 'will be grave mistake', warns Aziz," The Telegraph 28 Oct 2001
- "INC Says Iraqi Ambassador Linked to WTC Attack Tactic," Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 19 Oct 2001
- "Analysis: Though Afghanistan has provided Osama bin Laden with sanctuary, it is unclear where he is now," National Public Radio, February 18, 1999
- Saddam link to Bin Laden, By Julian Borger in Washington, Saturday February 6, 1999, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...