-Caveat Lector- http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=31635
Friday, March 21, 2003 OPERATION: IRAQI FREEDOM U.S. strike killed terror-group member Palestinian Liberation Front says officer 'fell as a martyr' in air raid Posted: March 21, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2003 WorldNetDaily.com A Palestinian terrorist group announced that one of its officers was killed in the initial U.S. missile attacks on Iraq. The Palestinian Liberation Front, headquartered in Baghdad, said in a statement from Lebanon that 1st Lt. Ahmed Walid Raguib al-Baz "fell as a martyr facing the American air raids on Iraq." "His martyrdom illustrates the links between" Palestinians and Iraqis, the group said, according to Agence France-Presse. Known for its seizing of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro and murder of a Jewish American passenger, the PLF is one of several terrorist organizations that maintain offices in Baghdad, according to the U.S. State Department. Secretary of State Colin Powell said in his speech to the United Nations on Feb. 5 that "Baghdad trains Palestine Liberation Front members in small arms and explosives." The group's leader, known as Abu Abbas, has been on the run from authorities since the 1985 Achille Lauro hijacking. He returned to the Gaza Strip after the Oslo agreement and is believed to have fled to Iraq due to Israeli crackdowns on militants in the disputed territories. The PLF is a primary channel for Saddam Hussein's payouts to Palestinian families that lose a member in the Intifada, or uprising, against Israel. Saddam gives $25,000 to the family of a suicide bomber and $10,000 to other families, the PLF says. The group claims Saddam has contributed an estimated $35 million since September 2000. The slain PLF officer al-Baz was employed as a taxi driver with a Jordan-based company. He had stopped at a roadside rest area about 190 miles west of Baghdad when he was struck by a missile from a helicopter while using a satellite phone, Agence France- Presse said. The attack reportedly occurred just after midnight this morning, said a colleague, Akram Abu Samaha. Al-Baz, 34, had a house in Baghdad but moved with his family to Amman, Jordan, in recent weeks ahead of the anticipated war. Born in Jenin, in the West Bank, al-Baz was married with an infant son. -- Outgoing mail is certified virus free Scanned by Norton AntiVirus <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http://archive.jab.org/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http://archive.jab.org/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
