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U.S. arrests former Iraq PMFormer prime minister suppressed Shiite uprising in 1991
DOHA, Qatar (CNN) -- Muhammad Hamza al-Zubaydi, No. 18 on the U.S. list of most-wanted Iraqi leaders, has been taken into custody in Iraq, U.S. Central Command has said. He is the most senior figure from Saddam Hussein's regime arrested so far and has a reputation as a ruthless and violent enforcer of the former regime's will. Al-Zubaydi is a former prime minister and deputy prime minister. The Free Iraqi Forces have a videotape of al-Zubaydi torturing and shooting prisoners in 1991 after the Shiite uprising in Nasiriya, Time Magazine reporter Brian Bennett told CNN. He is believed to have led the violent suppression of that uprising, in which thousands were killed. He was shown in Iraqi news video kicking and beating captured Shiite dissidents. Al-Zubaydi presided over the destruction of the southern marshes in 1992-98, and is said to have issued orders to army generals to "wipe-out" specific Marsh Arab tribes. As Saddam's Central Euphrates regional commander from 1998 to 2000, he continued to suppress Shiite opposition and was linked to many attacks, including the assassination of a leading Shiite cleric, the Grand Ayatollah Al-Sadr, and two of his sons in the Shiite center of Najaf in 1999. Al-Zubaydi was captured by Free Iraqi Forces in coordination with U.S. Army's special operations forces, Bennett said, adding that officials believe al-Zubaydi might have information on possible weapons of mass destruction sites. He is the queen of spades on the deck of cards featuring wanted Iraqi leaders that was handed out to U.S. troops. U.S. Central Command has announced the arrests of six other members of Saddam's regime. The Iraqi National Congress, an opposition group that has long worked with the United States, said another Iraqi official -- Saddam's son-in-law -- surrendered and was taken into U.S. custody Monday, but there has been no confirmation from U.S. Central Command. Garner visits Iraqi capitalRetired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Jay Garner arrived in Iraq on Monday to oversee its civil administration while a new government is established. In his first visit to Baghdad as head of the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance, Garner was expected to visit a power-generating plant, a water treatment plant and Yarmuk Hospital on the city's west side. "What better day in your life can you have than to be able to help somebody else, to help other people, and that is what we intend to do," Garner told reporters at Baghdad airport after arriving from Kuwait. Garner will head Iraq's civil administration while a new government is established. His initial visit to Baghdad is to last at least four days. Other developments• An Iraqi scientist who claims to have worked in Saddam's chemical weapons program told a U.S. military team that Iraq destroyed and buried chemical weapons and biological warfare equipment days before the war began, according to The New York Times. Members of the team set up to hunt for illegal weapons of mass destruction said the scientist led Americans to material that proved to be the building blocks of illegal weapons, the newspaper reported. (Full story) • The tank commander of the unit that returned fire at a Baghdad hotel on April 8, killing two cameramen, was quoted Monday as saying he did not know the building had been packed with journalists. According to the French newspaper Nouvel Observateur, Capt. Philip Wolford said it wasn't until after the incident that he learned journalists were in the hotel. • Tens of thousands of Shiite Muslims on a pilgrimage filled the streets of Karbala, reviving a religious tradition that was not allowed under Saddam's rule. The deposed Iraqi president did not allow Shiites to walk to the Tomb of Hussein, a Muslim martyr who was killed more than 1,300 years ago. Many expressed gratitude for their newfound religious freedom, but also called for the United States to leave Iraq. • The bodies of two British soldiers, Sapper Luke Allsopp, 24, and Staff Sgt. Simon Cullingworth, 36, were found near Al Zubayr outside of Basra in shallow graves, said spokeswoman Jemma Blackborn, with the British Ministry of Defense. An Iraqi resident led British troops to the graves, but it was unclear how the men died, British officials at Central Command said. (Full story) • The Bush administration is looking to maintain access to military bases in Iraq, though an agreement will have to be negotiated with a future Iraqi government, a U.S. Central Command official told CNN on Sunday. (Full story) • On Sunday, U.S. Marines pulled out of Baghdad, leaving it in the hands of the U.S. Army, which is working with Iraqi police to try to bring order to the still-chaotic capital. • President Bush said Sunday that there were "positive signs" that Syria would heed U.S. demands that it not harbor members of Saddam's former regime. "They're getting the message that they should not harbor Baath Party officials, high-ranking Iraqi officials," he said. (Full story) -- CNN correspondents Jim Clancy, Michael Holmes, Jamie McIntyre, Tom Mintier, Nic Robertson and Barbara Starr contributed to this report. EDITOR'S NOTE: CNN's policy is to not report information that puts operational security at risk.
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