| She got a divorce? Now she's Mrs. Cancer? |
 An Iraqi lawyer said Friday that one of Saddam Hussein's former top scientists, known as "Mrs. Anthrax," has cancer and is dying in U.S. custody where she has been held for more than a year. A U.S. military spokesman for detainee operations in Iraq refused to comment on the report that Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash has cancer.
| My heartstrings are suitably tugged... |
"I am not able to discuss the health condition of our detainees," said Lt. Col. Barry Johnson. "Certainly we have medical care available to take care of any detainee." Other U.S. officials said they were aware Ammash had been treated previously for cancer and she is routinely checked to ensure there is no recurrence. They said there was no immediate concern for her health. Ammash, a top Baath party official and biotech researcher who got her nickname for her alleged role in trying to develop bio-weapons for Saddam, is one of two women incarcerated by the U.S. military at an undisclosed location along with other top members of Saddam's regime. The other female detainee is Rihab Rashid Taha, a scientist who became known as "Dr. Germ" for helping Iraq make weapons out of anthrax. |