WASHINGTON — Iraq's Baath Party, once the machine of Saddam Hussein's tyrannical rule and now a key player in the country's civil war, has been divided by an internal power struggle pitting one of Hussein's top aides against a former general, U.S. and Iraqi government officials say.
U.S. military and intelligence officials are still debating whether to welcome the power struggle or fear it. But they agree the outcome could strongly influence the course of the Sunni-led insurgency against Iraq's U.S.-backed government.
On one side of the power struggle is Izzat Ibrahim, the highest-ranking member of Hussein's inner circle to evade capture. The king of clubs in the Bush administration's "deck of cards" that depicted the most wanted members of Hussein's regime, Ibrahim was Hussein's chief deputy and has been viewed as a ringleader in the insurgency.
The forces apparently seeking to oust Ibrahim from his leadership of the Baath movement are led by a former general in Hussein's army, Mohammed Yunis Ahmad.
U.S. officials learned of the infighting after a meeting in the northwestern Syrian town of Halab that military and intelligence officials believe involved Baath Party leaders.
The meeting in January, shortly after Hussein's hanging, led to an apparent split in the movement. Some U.S. commanders in Iraq believe that was a welcome development. They see Ibrahim and his followers as intransigent elements of the Hussein regime who are trying to regain control of Iraq. The American commanders hope that Yunis' faction is more willing to seek peace with the country's U.S.-backed government.
Others, including U.S. intelligence officials and some Iraqi officials, are more wary, viewing the internal battle as an attempt to put a new face on a Baath movement that remains a threat.
"These guys, No. 1, are very capable. They know how to lead, they know how to control, they know how to dominate, and they know how to execute a coup," said a U.S. military official, explaining why Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority remains fearful of a Baath resurgence. The official, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity when discussing intelligence assessments.
Iraqi officials say the government in Baghdad is considering reaching out to Yunis as part of its effort to revise the sweeping policy that forbids most former Baathists to participate in government activities.
One Iraqi government official said Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has authorized initial overtures to Yunis, while contact with Ibrahim remains taboo. The official noted, however, that the outreach might not go far. Maliki's overall efforts at softening the de-Baathification policy have consistently been blocked by opposition from other elements of his Shiite-dominated government.
"We are waiting to see if they [Yunis' group] would offer anything that will be of benefit," said the Iraqi official. "If they can prove they are not Saddamist groups, I think there is a legal precedent for opening a dialogue with them, provided that talking to them proves beneficial."
Ibrahim has kept such a low profile that U.S. officials say they have frequently suspected he is dead. But he has emerged as at least the titular leader of the Baath movement, which American officials believe controls significant amounts of money -- assets of the former regime and new resources gained through current activities in Iraq.
Ibrahim "probably commanded great respect, especially from the very most senior political elites that were still left from Saddam's regime," the U.S. military official said.
Accounts vary
Although accounts of the meeting in Halab vary, U.S. military and intelligence officials said partisans loyal to Yunis "hijacked" the session and expelled Ibrahim and others affiliated with him, declaring the ex-general the new party head.
The U.S. military official said Ibrahim, who was not at the meeting, quickly responded by issuing a communique denouncing Yunis and declaring that he was no longer a member of the party.
"Yunis orchestrated this meeting and did so without what appears to be the consent of Ibrahim," the military official said. "There was a walkout at the meeting, and clearly Ibrahim's camp and his followers, or those who thought that the meeting was going to do harm to Ibrahim and their interests, walked away from it. Hence you have the split."
The officials declined to provide details on how they learned of the meeting and its aftermath, citing the need to safeguard intelligence methods.
Those U.S. officials who see the divisions within the Baath Party as a positive development believe the split reflects a recognition by Baathists that the current Iraqi government would never reconcile with Ibrahim, given his close ties to Hussein, said a Pentagon consultant who was briefed by military intelligence officers during a recent trip to Baghdad.
