Into Baghdad's no-man's land

According to the Iraqslogger forces are entering into the Duwanim district of Baghdad. So what, you say? Here's why it might be worth watching:

As reported earlier, Iraqi forces have not entered the area for a year.

It's supposedly a lawless place teaming with Sunni insurgents:

Slogger sources also report that a large part of the population in the area had been employed in nearby presidential installations during the old regime, and after the fall of the regime many were organized by the Ba'thist underground to support the resistance against the US and the new Iraqi government

Sounds like the perfect hiding spot for an old Republican Guard soldier like al-Baghdadi or his friend al-Masri.

By the way, an anniversary of sorts just passed and I missed it. Better late than never:

Rashed had been a member of a pro-Palestinian group that in the 1980s undertook a terrorist campaign against U.S. and Israeli interests, according to prosecutors. The group, known as the 15th of May for the date in 1948 when the first Arab-Israeli War began, was based in Iraq, with operatives around the world.

Who is Mohammed Rashed and what did he do? Well, he was sentenced last March 25th for planting a small bomb under a seat on Pan Am flight 830 from Toyko to Honolulu in 1982. Rashed got on the plane in Baghdad, where it originated, then got off in Tokyo only to leave the bomb on board to explode under the seat of Japanese teenager Toru Ozawa, who was killed. Fifteen others were injured but the plane managed to land safely.

Interestingly, this was the same MO used by super-terrorist Ramzi Yousef, himself a Palestinian sympathizer. Rashed's 15th of May terrorist group was relatively inactive past the mid 80s, but according to Thomas Jocelyn, Saddam still harbored its leader Abu Ibrahim until 2001-2002. Add him to the likes of Abu Nidal, Abu Abbas, and the still unaccounted for Abdul Yasin, a WTC-One bomb mixer.

Now, what was that The Donald recently said about Saddam's hatred for terrorists?