During nearly two hours before his surrender, the 56-year-old Naqib, a man of few words who appeared exhausted by recent events but resolute in his decision to give himself up, depicted himself as a purely military man who did his job.
"This was the military — you move up from position to position. I was just following orders," he said. "But I will not answer whether I believed in the regime."
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Naqib refused to give any details of his 35-year-long army career, which spanned a period that included atrocities and invasions of neighboring countries. He defended his role under the regime, saying he couldn't have left his military post even if he had wanted to because of Hussein's power to hurt not just him but his family.
Although he spoke haltingly, he offered some insights into the fallen regime.
He confirmed other insiders' accounts of Hussein's propensity for making staffing decisions based on his fears of betrayal even when they undermined his military's effectiveness. He described a military organization sapped of much of its strength after two previous wars followed by 12 years of sanctions. He said the United States' heavy bombing of Baghdad had degraded Iraqi forces. And he dismissed the American and British allegations that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction.
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Asked whether Naqib could be a candidate for a war crimes trial, the Defense Department official said: "It depends what kind of stuff they find on him. He's been loyal to the regime and been promoted through the command structure rapidly. It all depends on how he proved his commitment and loyalty to Saddam Hussein."
Under Hussein, Iraq's military intelligence apparatus was largely devoted to spying on the country's own troops.
In the interview, Naqib denied doing anything morally wrong. "What is their proof that I am a war criminal?" he asked.
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Naqib said little about his role as chief of military intelligence, other than suggesting that he had little impact in the job to which he was assigned just 10 months ago, when Hussein abruptly removed his predecessor.
He had met with Hussein only twice since he took the position, he said, the last time more than three months ago.
Asked if it made sense to remove the military intelligence chief as war loomed, Naqib shrugged and said only two words: "Saddam Hussein," indicating that it was the former president's decision.
