IRAQ BRIEFING * Where should we be looking for Saddam? As P. notes, Amir Taheri has some ideas that describe how to think the problem through. They sound plausible. * As Andrew noted on Tuesday, al-Qaeda is entering Iraq in droves to fight US troops, specifically in the form of Ansar al-Islam. The infamous Abu Musab Zarqawi masterminded the bombing, despite the fact that he's apparently "detained" in Iran. * According to the Canada.com, the Iraqi guerrillas are being led by Mohammed al-Kudier, a former member of the Mukhabarat, and an anonymous Saudi al-Qaeda leader. * Time Magazine explains how Ansar al-Islam returned, as well as clarifying that the "training camp" that US forces attacked back in June was indeed an Ansar base. Bjorn Stark, meanwhile, is far from impressed with Norway's treatment of Mullah Krekar, Ansar's spiritual leader. The New York Times has more on the Iraqi jihadis. * El Salvador is sending troops to Iraq to participate in peacekeeping operations, as are Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic. * Oil exports from northern Iraq to Turkey may resume today. * General Sanchez says that US troops should expect to spend a year in Iraq, with occasional breaks and possibly a few days at home. * Turkey is considering sending several thousand troops into Iraq as peacekeepers. So long as they aren't deployed in the Kurdish areas this shouldn't be a problem, as the Turks have a great deal of experience in the area of guerrilla warfare from battling the PKK during the 1990s. * According to the US, a high-ranking al-Qaeda leader told interrogators that Iraq helped the organization with WMD expertise. It's interesting that this isn't getting reported more in the US. * On the subject of intelligence, CIA Director George Tenet has some words for the Agency's detractors on the subject of the assessment of Iraq in the National Intelligence Estimate. * Which "cards" have we captured so far? The CENTCOM list. And the visual version of "Ba'ath Poker." * The troops are still there. So is the Winds of Change.NET consolidated directory of ways you can support the troops. American, British and Australian. Anyone out there with more information, incl. the Poles and Czechs? [updated April 1, 2003] IRAN REPORTS * According to the Saudis, Iran is holding al-Qaeda's leadership in safehouses and is dragging its feet over the issue of whether or not to extradict them to Saudi Arabia. Khatami has issued a pious denial but nevertheless is refusing to allow the US access to the "detained." * According to The Guardian, the ayatollahs are using al-Qaeda's leaders as a bargaining chip against the US taking a harder stand against Iran. U.S.A. HOMELAND SECURITY BRIEFING * The recent sting operation against a British arms dealer and his associates is a dramatic success for multilateral cooperation between the US, Russia, and UK. Both ABC News and the BBC have the story, with one small difference: in the ABC version, the Russian who sold the missile to the arms dealer was an undercover agent, while the BBC describes him as a corrupt government official. * Fresh from yesterday's sting operation, two Pakistanis are being held in Seattle after one of their names showed up on the US terrorist watch list. Flame Turns Blue has more. * The arrest of Uzair Paracha, a Pakistani who worked at an import business in NYC when he wasn't under orders from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, has been announced by the FBI. Paracha also has ties to Iyman Faris and possibly other al-Qaeda sleepers in the US. I would recommend rereading my Al-Qaeda in the US special analysis for a good look at what is known to the public to date about the domestic terrorist presence. THE WIDER WAR * Afghanistan seems to have had quite a bloody day with a total of sixty-one people killed across the country in a combination of warlord infighting, Taliban attacks, a bus bombing, and Afghan counter-attacks. * More good Afghanistan reports over at Grim's Hall. Start here and scroll down. * Parapundit reports an interesting initiative re: North Korea - mass smuggling of solar-powered radios into that country, to help break the government's information monopoly. * A total of 699 members of Salafi Jihad are being held in Morocco in the aftermath of the Casablanca bombings. That's quite impressive for a little more than three months into the investigation, and it shows just how serious the Moroccans are about fighting the war on terror. * Saudi Arabia appears to be dealing with its own al-Qaeda problem, abeit half-heartedly. More on the gun battle in Riyadh can be found here and it seems that all is not well in the land of our "trusted ally." * Jemaah Islamiyyah has claimed responsibility for the Mariott Hotel bombing in Indonesia. The technical brains behind the attack are said to be the work of Jemaah leaders still at large after the Bali bombings. Right now the Indonesian government is searching for 272 Jemaah members in Indonesia who trained with al-Qaeda and fought in the Afghan War. * It is worth noting that Nahdat ul-Ulema and Muhammadiyyah, the two largest Indonesian Muslim groups, have both condemned the attack and they have a combined membership of 70,000,000. * Confessed Bali bomber Amrozi has been sentenced to death by an Indonesian court, though his lawyers have opted to appeal the verdict. * Speaking of trials, another member of the Hamburg cell that organized the 9/11 attacks will go on trial in Germany soon. * The fallout from coup attempt in the Philippines is far from over, according to President Arroyo. In addition to the renegade soldiers, at least one Filippino senator has been implicated in the plot. It looks like the FBI is helping out too, so this issue is definitely one that we should keep an eye on for awhile. * Harold Keke, the Solomon Islands warlord, has surrendered to the Australian intervention force. * Fidel Castro has once again been reaffirmed as maximum leader of Cuba by his rubber stamp parliament. No surprise there, but given the activities at Bejucal and Cuba's human rights abuses, perhaps it's time his regime got a bit more unfriendly attention. * We try to close on a lighter note if possible. Saddam Hussein's ability to escape the US dragnet has been of concern to some pundits, but thankfully his personal wizard has now shed some light on the situation. I guess it's all about the statues...