National News

Saddam Hussein captured

BAGHDAD (AP) - Without firing a shot, American forces captured a bearded and haggard Saddam Hussein on Dec. 13 in a dirt pit across a river from one of his former palaces near his hometown of Tikrit, ending one of the most intensive manhunts in history.

"The former dictator of Iraq will face the justice he denied to millions," U.S. President George W. Bush said, eight months after American troops swept into Baghdad and toppled Hussein's regime. "In the history of Iraq, a dark and painful era is over. A hopeful day has arrived."

Washington hopes Hussein's capture will help break the organized Iraqi resistance that has killed more than190 American soldiers since Bush declared major combat operations over May 1 and has set back efforts at reconstruction.

But military officials said that Hussein did not appear to be directly organizing resistance - noting no communication devices were found in his hiding place.

The capture, based on information from a member of a family "close to him," took place at 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 13 at one of dozens of safehouses Hussein is thought to have: a walled compound on a farm in Adwar, a town 16 km from Tikrit. Some 600 troops and special forces were involved in the raid.

Troops found Hussein, armed with a pistol, hiding in an underground crawl space in the walled compound. Rugs and dirt covered the Styrofoam lid over the entrance to the hiding place, about a meter from a small, mud-brick hut where Hussein had been staying. Evidence indicated that Hussein had been there for only a short time, sources said.

Hussein didn't fire his weapon. Two other Iraqis were arrested in the raid, and soldiers found two Kalashnikov rifles, a pistol, a taxi and $750,000 (¥81 million).

Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, said the deposed leader "has been cooperative and is talkative." He described Hussein as "a tired man, a man resigned to his fate."

U.S. authorities have not yet determined whether to hand Hussein over to the Iraqis for trial or what his status would be.

Bush said Dec. 16 that Hussein deserves the "ultimate penalty" for his crimes. His position carries considerable influence in determining the punishment of the deposed Iraqi leader.

Iraqi officials want him to stand trial before their newly established war crimes tribunal, and members of the U.S.-appointed Iraq Governing Council have predicted a quick trial and a quick execution for Hussein.

The death penalty issue could cause friction between the United States and other nations. Bush has long been a proponent of capital punishment. All 15 nations of the European Union have abolished capital punishment.

Britain said it would not participate in a tribunal or legal process that could lead to execution. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan also has said the world body would not support bringing Hussein before a tribunal that might sentence him to death.

Shukan ST: Dec. 26, 2003

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