Saddam's female assassin squads

On this day in WND history, seven years ago:

In an amazing and previously unreported story filed from Copenhagen, Denmark, WND international correspondent Anthony LoBaido revealed that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had sent hordes of female assassins to Denmark as well as other European destinations to wipe out Kurdish refugees and defectors fleeing Iraq, and even had installed spies on the Danish Refugee Council, according to the Danish Red Cross.

The assassins infiltrated Iraqi opposition circles to kill and maim leading Kurdish and Iraqi opposition leaders by means ranging from poisonings to car crashes. Graduates of a two-month training course held outside Baghdad, these "Mata Hari" hit squads were code-named Operation Falcon. According to British intelligence, they were staffed by belly dancers, actresses and artists who claim to be seeking asylum.

"The regime is using women because they would raise less suspicion," said Dr. Ayad Allawi, secretary general of the London-based Iraqi National Accord and a former ally of Saddam. "In our culture, we don't expect women to spy or kill. This is the most substantial operation we have seen for years."