BRIEFING: AT WAR WITH IRAQ
BY WORLD TRIBUNE.COM WITH MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Day 24 Ñ April 12, 3003
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U.S. finds first of Iraqi fighter-jets

ABU DHABI Ñ The United States has found the first of Iraq's combat air fleet. U.S. officials said coalition forces have captured 15 Iraqi fighter-jets. They said the fighter-jets were located in an air base in western Iraq. Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, vice director of operations for U.S. Central Command, said on Saturday that special operations forces found a range of combat aircraft at the Assad air base. He did not elaborate. Brooks also said an Al Samoud-2 short-range missile and five mobile launchers were found in Baghdad on Friday. He said two unmanned air vehicles were captured at a phosphate plant in Al Qaim in western Iraq.

Saddam's top financial aide killed in attack

The half-brother and leading financial aide of Saddam Hussein was killed in a U.S. bombing attack.

Barzan Ibrahim Tikriti died on Friday from wounds sustained in a U.S. air bombing of his farm in Ramadi, located about 100 kilometers west of Baghdad, Iraqi opposition sources said. Tikiriti's home was destroyed by six Joint Direct Attack Munition bombs on Thursday.

Tikriti was regarded as the leading financial adviser of Saddam. As ambassador to Switzerland, Tikriti was said to have overseen billions of dollars in investments by Saddam and his family.

Saddam's half-brother fell out of favor in 1998 after his daughter was divorced from the president's son, Uday. Last month, Tikriti was placed under house arrest for objecting to Saddam's plans to appoint his younger son, Qusay, as successor.

Saddam's science adviser surrenders

The science adviser of deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has surrendered to the United States.

Lt. Gen. Amr Saadi left his Baghdad home with his Germany wife and surrendered to a waiting U.S. officer. The surrender on Saturday was arranged with the help of Germany's ZDF television network.

Saadi told ZDF that he did not know the fate of Saddam. He also said Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction.

The Iraqi general was a liasion with the United Nations in weapons inspections in late 2002 and early 2003.

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