2 Half Brothers of Iraqi Leader Said to Be Under House Arrest

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has put two of his half brothers under house arrest and banned them from leaving the country, Iraqi dissidents said Wednesday.

Watban Ibrahim Hassan, a former interior minister, and Sabawi Ibrahim Hassan, a former security chief, were ordered to stay at home under tight security after they requested permission to leave Iraq, according to Iraqi dissidents reached by telephone in neighboring Jordan.

The two brothers’ request to travel was apparently prompted by a power struggle inside the ruling family, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.