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1631T-HQ-1462938 L¥__—__ | who was himself arrested on March 16, , ON Suspicion of supporting the uprising, explained part of the massive Al-Mahawil military base had been taken over by individuals and organizations directly involved in the arrests and the killings. These people included high-ranking Ba'ath party members, General Security, Special Security (al-Amn al-Khas), the intelligence services (mukhabarat), and leading members of the pro-government Albu Alwan tribe, including its head shaikh, MUHAMMAD JAWAD ONAIFIS, who is in U.S. custody on suspicion of involvement in the Al-Mahawil executions. Another eyewitness, himself a soldier at the time of the mass executions, provided detailed information to HRW about the involvement of Special Republican Guard troops in the detentions and executions. rom An-Najyaf to Babel on March 8, 1991, together with his cousin KARIM “ABD AL-SADIQ a. , HITBAN, age 35 and oe _ Se. also a soldier. The < # te a two men had just "7 we iy” completed a three- Ls, at a ae Ul pi. day leave and were 8 main hos : .y returning to their Se SAMS Mae, NK military base when they were stopped outside Al-Hillah by Special Republican Guard troops, whom they identified by the red triangular badges on their uniforms. The Special Republican Guards, he said, detained everyone who came to their checkpoint, loading more than 100 persons into their trucks, and took them to the Al-Mahawil military base: They took us directly to prison. The prison was in the territory of Al-Mahawil military training camp near Babel [Babylon], 30 kilometers from the place where we were detained. There were many people in the track, like one hundred or 150, both servicemen and civilians. They blindfolded us 89