Saddam an ' unhelpful Artful Dodger'

Saddam Hussein is being compliant but unhelpful to his American interrogators who have made little progress in gaining information as to whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or ties to al-Qaida terror, officials said today.

One general described the fallen dictator as “the Artful Dodger.”

However, intelligence stemming from Saddam’s capture has led to arrests of some of his supporters who provided money to the insurgents, a US military official said.

US intelligence agencies are turning their efforts toward rounding up remaining principals of Saddam’s regime who may be playing a more direct role than the now-captured former president did in running guerrilla operations in Iraq, officials said.

“Within the first 24 hours of the capture of Saddam Hussein we acted on some of the information that we were able to analyse and we captured some high-level former Baath leaders that again we consider to be the network that was providing the financial support for the cell structure in Baghdad,” said Brigadier General Martin Dempsey, commander of the 1st Armored Division in Iraq .

A former Iraqi general was among those detained, a senior defence official said.

Dempsey said: “I think it will take some time to actually gain any intelligence value from the man himself. I mean, let’s face it. He was the Artful Dodger, and I think even what we get from him in the near term, we probably will have to corroborate in other ways.”

But intelligence stemming from Saddam’s capture is providing a clearer picture of the insurgents’ operations. Some information came from Saddam’s document-filled briefcase, found not far from where he was captured.

Additional details yielded by Saddam’s Saturday night capture include evidence that he played a moral and financial role in the anti-US resistance, Hertling said.

Saddam had 750,000 US dollars when American soldiers found him on Saturday hiding in a hole dug into a farmyard near his hometown of Tikrit, north of Baghdad.

“I’m sure he was giving some guidance to some key figures in this insurgency,” Hertling said. “When you take down the mob boss, you don’t know how much is going to come of it.”

The prime leaders still at large include Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, his son Ahmed. And Hani Abd al-Latif Tilfah al-Tikriti, all of whom are thought to be involved in the guerrilla war against the US led occupation.

The elder al-Douri and Tilfah both had senior roles in Saddam’s security apparatus before the war: al-Douri was vice chairman of Saddam’s Revolutionary Command Council, Tilfah director of the Special Security Organisation, Saddam’s chief internal security agency.

Former members of Saddam’s security forces are thought to comprise a significant portion of the armed resistance in Iraq. Prisoners have suggested both al-Douris are playing organising roles, but the father may be sick, officials said.

The extent of Saddam’s knowledge of the insurgency is unclear. Intelligence officials say they believe he has been too worried about survival to serve as much more than an inspiration to the resistance.

In response to his capture, officials fear resistance fighters might mount some initial strikes, aimed at proving it remains viable. But over the long term, officials hope Saddam’s removal will persuade some to give up the fight.

Saddam’s capture won’t help US troops counter guerrillas who were never loyal to the former dictator, such as religious extremists and foreign fighters, Hertling said. Many of them have entered Iraq since the invasion.