Lion El' Jonson
Dec 14th, 2003, 06:53:13 AM
Hussein Captured
Bremer: 'We Got Him'
By Bradley Graham
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 14, 2003; 7:36 AM
Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. troops during a raid on a farmhouse near Tikrit, U.S. officials said in a news conference in Baghdad today.
"We got him . . . ," L. Paul Bremer, Iraq's U.S. civilian administrator, said when making the announcement. "The tyrant is now a prisoner . . ."
Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, described the operation and said that "not a single shot was fired."
Sanchez said Hussein, who was hiding in a "spider hole" dug near the house, was talking to his captors and "being cooperative." Video of Hussein, with a long gray beard, getting a medical checkup after his capture was shown by Sanchez. Then, he showed video of the man after he had been shaved and compared that to earlier photos of Hussein.
Continuous celebratory gunfire could be heard in Baghdad as the news of Hussein's possible arrest spread across the Iraqi capital.
The capture of Hussein has been a high priority for U.S. forces since last spring's invasion, but the former Iraqi leader had proven elusive despite a $25 million reward that the Bush administration offered for information that led to him.
U.S. authorities had received numerous tips about possible hiding places for Hussein and suspect they were close to nabbing him on a few occasions. Hussein's two sons, Uday and Qusay, were found in July in a house in Tikrit and died in a firefight with U.S. troops.
From his hideouts, Hussein continued to taunt U.S. authorities, issuing periodic audio tapes urging resistance to the American-led occupation. To spearhead the search for him, the Pentagon established a group of Special Operations forces known as Task Force 121. In recent months, U.S. forces have focused on hunting down mid-level former Iraqi officers and mid-ranking onetime Baath Party operatives in hopes they could provide intelligence that might lead to Hussein.
Although frustrated by the length of time it was taking to find Hussein, U.S. commanders had repeatedly expressed confidence they would eventually find the former Iraqi leader. At the same time, they said that Hussein's capture would not by itself end the insurgency that has swelled during the past few months.
Washington Post staff writer Barton Gellman in Baghdad contributed to this report.
American forces capture Saddam in Tikrit, U.S. announces
By Hamza Hendawi, Associated Press, 12/14/2003 07:35
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) American forces captured a bearded Saddam Hussein, hiding in a hole in a farmhouse cellar near his hometown of Tikrit, the U.S. military announced Sunday. The arrest was carried out without a shot fired and was a victory for the U.S.-led coalition eight months after the fall of Baghdad.
''Ladies and gentlemen, we got him,'' U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer told a news conference. ''The tyrant is a prisoner,'' Bremer said.
Bremer said that Saddam was captured Saturday at 8:30 p.m. in a cellar in the town of Adwar, 10 miles from Tikrit, ending one of the most intense manhunts in history.
In the capital, radio stations played celebratory music, residents fired small arms in the air in celebration and others drove through the streets, shouting, ''They got Saddam! They got Saddam!''
At the news conference announcing his capture, U.S. forces aired a video showing a bearded Saddam being examined by a doctor holding his mouth open with a tongue depressor, apparently to get a DNA sample.
Then a video was shown of Saddam after he was shaved.
Iraqi journalists in the audience stood, pointed and shouted ''Death to Saddam!'' and ''Down with Saddam!''
Saddam was being held at an undisclosed location and that U.S. authorities had not yet determined whether to hand him over to the Iraqis for trial, Sanchez said.
Forces from the 4th Infantry Division along with Special Forces captured Saddam, the U.S. military said. There were no shots fired or injuries in the raid, called ''Operation Red Dawn,'' said Lt. Gen. Richardo Sanchez.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair welcomed Saddam's capture.
''This is very good news for the people of Iraq. It removes the shadow that has been hanging over them for too long of the nightmare of a return to the Saddam regime,'' he said in a statement released by his office.
Trapped in the cellar, Saddam was in a six-to-eight-foot-deep ''spider hole'' that had been camouflaged with bricks and dirt. The soldiers saw the hole, investigated and found him inside, Sanchez said.
The video showed an air vent and fan inside the hole to allow Saddam to remain hidden for an extended period.
Shop owners closed their doors, worried that all the shooting would make the streets unsafe.
''I'm very happy for the Iraqi people. Life is going to be safer now,'' said 35-year-old Yehya Hassan, a resident of Baghdad. ''Now we can start a new beginning.''
Earlier in the day, rumors of the capture sent people streaming into the streets of Kirkuk, a northern Iraqi city, firing guns in the air in celebration.
''We are celebrating like it's a wedding,'' said Kirkuk resident Mustapha Sheriff. ''We are finally rid of that criminal.''
''This is the joy of a lifetime,'' said Ali Al-Bashiri, another resident. ''I am speaking on behalf of all the people that suffered under his rule.''
In Tikrit, U.S. soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division, the unit that is responsible for security in Saddam's hometown, were smoking cigars after hearing the news of Saddam's capture.
Despite the celebration throughout Baghdad, many residents were skeptical.
''I heard the news, but I'll believe it when I see it,'' said Mohaned al-Hasaji, 33. ''They need to show us that they really have him.''
Ayet Bassem, 24, walked out of a shop with her 6-year-old son.
''Things will be better for my son,'' she said. ''Everyone says everything will be better when Saddam is caught. My son now has a future.''
''This success brings closure to the Iraqi people. We now have final resolution. Saddam Hussein will never return to a position of power from which he can punish, terrorize, intimidate and exploit the Iraqi people as the did for more than 35 years,'' Sanchez said.
After invading Iraq on March 20 and setting up their headquarters in Saddam's sprawling Republican Palace compound in Baghdad, U.S. troops launched a massive manhunt for the fugitive leader, placing a $25 million bounty on his head and sending thousands of soldiers to search for him.
Saddam's sons Qusai and Odai each with a $15 million bounty on their heads were killed July 22 in a four-hour gunbattle with U.S. troops in a hideout in the northern city of Mosul. The bounties were paid out to the man who owned the house where they were killed, residents said.
A Governing Council member, Jalal Talabani, told Iran's official news agency, IRNA, that Saddam's detention will bring stability to Iraq.
''With the arrest of Saddam, the source financing terrorists has been destroyed and terrorist attacks will come to an end. Now we can establish a durable stability and security in Iraq,'' Talabani was quoted as saying.
Boy, what a Christmas Present! :D
I caught the preliminary report just as I was turning on my TV for a round of Halo on my Xbox. Everybody in America will be waking up to this news. Lieutenant General Sanchez was great during the press conference. He's so serious, I broke out laughing; the Army loves their acronyms and codenames!
And, watching the Press Conference...well, apparently at least a couple of Iraqi's are happy that he's in Coalition Hands, judging by the way they were on their feet and screaming insults at the TV monitors for 10 minutes straight. :lol
It's like Christmas come early! Ho-ho-ho! What a way to begin my Christmas Break!
~Lion~
Bremer: 'We Got Him'
By Bradley Graham
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 14, 2003; 7:36 AM
Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. troops during a raid on a farmhouse near Tikrit, U.S. officials said in a news conference in Baghdad today.
"We got him . . . ," L. Paul Bremer, Iraq's U.S. civilian administrator, said when making the announcement. "The tyrant is now a prisoner . . ."
Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, described the operation and said that "not a single shot was fired."
Sanchez said Hussein, who was hiding in a "spider hole" dug near the house, was talking to his captors and "being cooperative." Video of Hussein, with a long gray beard, getting a medical checkup after his capture was shown by Sanchez. Then, he showed video of the man after he had been shaved and compared that to earlier photos of Hussein.
Continuous celebratory gunfire could be heard in Baghdad as the news of Hussein's possible arrest spread across the Iraqi capital.
The capture of Hussein has been a high priority for U.S. forces since last spring's invasion, but the former Iraqi leader had proven elusive despite a $25 million reward that the Bush administration offered for information that led to him.
U.S. authorities had received numerous tips about possible hiding places for Hussein and suspect they were close to nabbing him on a few occasions. Hussein's two sons, Uday and Qusay, were found in July in a house in Tikrit and died in a firefight with U.S. troops.
From his hideouts, Hussein continued to taunt U.S. authorities, issuing periodic audio tapes urging resistance to the American-led occupation. To spearhead the search for him, the Pentagon established a group of Special Operations forces known as Task Force 121. In recent months, U.S. forces have focused on hunting down mid-level former Iraqi officers and mid-ranking onetime Baath Party operatives in hopes they could provide intelligence that might lead to Hussein.
Although frustrated by the length of time it was taking to find Hussein, U.S. commanders had repeatedly expressed confidence they would eventually find the former Iraqi leader. At the same time, they said that Hussein's capture would not by itself end the insurgency that has swelled during the past few months.
Washington Post staff writer Barton Gellman in Baghdad contributed to this report.
American forces capture Saddam in Tikrit, U.S. announces
By Hamza Hendawi, Associated Press, 12/14/2003 07:35
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) American forces captured a bearded Saddam Hussein, hiding in a hole in a farmhouse cellar near his hometown of Tikrit, the U.S. military announced Sunday. The arrest was carried out without a shot fired and was a victory for the U.S.-led coalition eight months after the fall of Baghdad.
''Ladies and gentlemen, we got him,'' U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer told a news conference. ''The tyrant is a prisoner,'' Bremer said.
Bremer said that Saddam was captured Saturday at 8:30 p.m. in a cellar in the town of Adwar, 10 miles from Tikrit, ending one of the most intense manhunts in history.
In the capital, radio stations played celebratory music, residents fired small arms in the air in celebration and others drove through the streets, shouting, ''They got Saddam! They got Saddam!''
At the news conference announcing his capture, U.S. forces aired a video showing a bearded Saddam being examined by a doctor holding his mouth open with a tongue depressor, apparently to get a DNA sample.
Then a video was shown of Saddam after he was shaved.
Iraqi journalists in the audience stood, pointed and shouted ''Death to Saddam!'' and ''Down with Saddam!''
Saddam was being held at an undisclosed location and that U.S. authorities had not yet determined whether to hand him over to the Iraqis for trial, Sanchez said.
Forces from the 4th Infantry Division along with Special Forces captured Saddam, the U.S. military said. There were no shots fired or injuries in the raid, called ''Operation Red Dawn,'' said Lt. Gen. Richardo Sanchez.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair welcomed Saddam's capture.
''This is very good news for the people of Iraq. It removes the shadow that has been hanging over them for too long of the nightmare of a return to the Saddam regime,'' he said in a statement released by his office.
Trapped in the cellar, Saddam was in a six-to-eight-foot-deep ''spider hole'' that had been camouflaged with bricks and dirt. The soldiers saw the hole, investigated and found him inside, Sanchez said.
The video showed an air vent and fan inside the hole to allow Saddam to remain hidden for an extended period.
Shop owners closed their doors, worried that all the shooting would make the streets unsafe.
''I'm very happy for the Iraqi people. Life is going to be safer now,'' said 35-year-old Yehya Hassan, a resident of Baghdad. ''Now we can start a new beginning.''
Earlier in the day, rumors of the capture sent people streaming into the streets of Kirkuk, a northern Iraqi city, firing guns in the air in celebration.
''We are celebrating like it's a wedding,'' said Kirkuk resident Mustapha Sheriff. ''We are finally rid of that criminal.''
''This is the joy of a lifetime,'' said Ali Al-Bashiri, another resident. ''I am speaking on behalf of all the people that suffered under his rule.''
In Tikrit, U.S. soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division, the unit that is responsible for security in Saddam's hometown, were smoking cigars after hearing the news of Saddam's capture.
Despite the celebration throughout Baghdad, many residents were skeptical.
''I heard the news, but I'll believe it when I see it,'' said Mohaned al-Hasaji, 33. ''They need to show us that they really have him.''
Ayet Bassem, 24, walked out of a shop with her 6-year-old son.
''Things will be better for my son,'' she said. ''Everyone says everything will be better when Saddam is caught. My son now has a future.''
''This success brings closure to the Iraqi people. We now have final resolution. Saddam Hussein will never return to a position of power from which he can punish, terrorize, intimidate and exploit the Iraqi people as the did for more than 35 years,'' Sanchez said.
After invading Iraq on March 20 and setting up their headquarters in Saddam's sprawling Republican Palace compound in Baghdad, U.S. troops launched a massive manhunt for the fugitive leader, placing a $25 million bounty on his head and sending thousands of soldiers to search for him.
Saddam's sons Qusai and Odai each with a $15 million bounty on their heads were killed July 22 in a four-hour gunbattle with U.S. troops in a hideout in the northern city of Mosul. The bounties were paid out to the man who owned the house where they were killed, residents said.
A Governing Council member, Jalal Talabani, told Iran's official news agency, IRNA, that Saddam's detention will bring stability to Iraq.
''With the arrest of Saddam, the source financing terrorists has been destroyed and terrorist attacks will come to an end. Now we can establish a durable stability and security in Iraq,'' Talabani was quoted as saying.
Boy, what a Christmas Present! :D
I caught the preliminary report just as I was turning on my TV for a round of Halo on my Xbox. Everybody in America will be waking up to this news. Lieutenant General Sanchez was great during the press conference. He's so serious, I broke out laughing; the Army loves their acronyms and codenames!
And, watching the Press Conference...well, apparently at least a couple of Iraqi's are happy that he's in Coalition Hands, judging by the way they were on their feet and screaming insults at the TV monitors for 10 minutes straight. :lol
It's like Christmas come early! Ho-ho-ho! What a way to begin my Christmas Break!
~Lion~