A disheveled Saddam was hiding in a "spider hole" when captured. Reuters
In a stunning and welcome development, the United States confirmed that Saddam Hussein
was captured today today without major incident.
Appearing scruffy and old, his capture will send shock waves through the Arab world, provide a welcome sense of closure for millions of Iraqis and -- possibly -- deal a body blow to the Iraqi insurgency, which to date has killed "540 troops.":http://lunaville.org/warcasualties/Summary.aspx
Hussein was reportedly "tired" and "resigned" when captured in a dirt hole outside of Adwar, a town about 10 miles from Tikrit. Kurdish _peshmergas_ helped locate him, according to some statements from the Iraqi Governing Council.
This is a good day, for despite my opposition to the war, there was never a doubt in my mind that Saddam was a monster. What everyone is hoping for now is that the insurgency will now lose much of its _raison d'ętre_. But I'm concerned that this will not be the case. The United States crowed that insurgents would creep away after the deaths of Uday and Qusay Hussein in -May- July. They didn't. And, in fact, the Coalition Provisional Authority said it "expects continued attacks":http://nytimes.com/2003/12/14/international/middleeast/14WIRE-ATTACKS.html?hp, and on the same day Saddam was captured, "17 Iraqis were killed":http://www.albawaba.com/news/index.php3?sid=265510&lang=e&dir=news in a car bomb attack on a Khaldiya Police Station, west of Baghdad.
But how involved was the dictator with the insurgency? Saddam has shown himself time and again to be a pretty useless tactician, so the relative success of the insurgency indicates he's not the one in charge. However, he was caught with $750,000, so there's a pretty good chance he was financing it in some way.
What does this mean to the resistance? Their morale must surely have taken a major blow and they have lost a potent symbol of American impotence. Now they have a choice: To give up and slink away or prove that they are still viable fighting force by hitting back hard. Stratfor feels that the next 72 hours will be the most dangerous.
"Reaction in the Arab":http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/14/international/middleeast/14WIRE-ARAB.html?hp world was mixed, with many Arabs seeing the capture of Saddam as good news, but worried that his apprehension would boost President Bush's re-election chances in November and remove the only obstacle to American goals in the region.
"Of course it's bad news. To us, Saddam was a symbol of defiance to the U.S. plans in the region. And we support any person who stands in the face of the American dominance," said Azzam Hneidi, an Islamist member of Jordan's parliament.
Ominously, the _NYTimes_ found a guy working at the Palestine Hotel, the home base for many foreign journalists and contract workers, who was sad that Saddam had been captured.
"We lost our only hope and now we are stuck with the Americans,'' said [Abil] Daoud, who is employed by U.S. troops as a local security guard. _(Does this guy still have a job as a security guard? -- Ed.)_
However, there was a touching quote from Ayet Bassem. "Things will be better for my son," she said, clutching the hand of six-year-old Zenalbadin. "My son now has a future."
The question now is what will happen to Saddam. Will the prosecution happen in an Iraqi court? Before the Hague? In some other forum? Ahmed Chalabi and other members of the Iraqi Governing Council are already calling for an Iraqi trial. The IGC formed a special tribunal on Wednesday for trying top members of Saddam's regime, but the United States has as yet no comment on what the venue for a trial might be.
This is a momentous day, for all the players involved in this drama in Mesopotamia. Now the U.S. has a chance to interrogate the former dictator, the guerillas will have a chance to show the world whether they are serious or not and the Iraqis will have a chance at a new chapter. What the parties make of these chances is up to them.
I am very happy to hear this news. I woke up to the news by way of an email from my son-in-law who is in Dohuk where he says people were out shooting guns into the air and celebrating. I am cynical too how this will truly help, however…
I am very happy to hear this news. I woke up to the news by way of an email from my son-in-law who is in Dohuk where he says people were out shooting guns into the air and celebrating. I am cynical too how this will truly help, however…
How involved was Saddam with the insurgency? Well, how involved was Bin Laden with 9/11? MONEY. CIA interrogators will sit him down and find out where that $1 billion dollars went that he took out of the central bank.
Follow the money…
i’ve been reading your site as a source for my iraq related news for a few months now, and i am am happy to say that when my mother called and awoke me with the news, i went to your site first, even before my trusty relatively unbiased christian science monitor.
I AM BRAZILIAN and WRITING FOR YOU DESIRE GOOD LUCK after Sadam Hussein end age´s. Who is violent ending like Sadam.
I am against american presence in Iraq, but today i´m feel satisfaction with prision of Sadam.
Live Irak live
Nonato - Brazil
It’s always good news when a dictator is arrested. But this is not the reason the US went into Iraq (oil and political control of an important region of the world are the reasons) and at the end of the day Iraq is still under foreign military occupation.
That’s what the insurgency seems to be about, and today’s events won’t change much. Immediate, open elections; the withdrawal of troops; and Iraqi control of Iraqi resources are the only things that will end it.
i think i’ll still hold my breath for awhile. it would be far too naive, and foolish, for america to believe that simply because they have caught the head scoundrel, the fight will be drastically reduced and the war is over.
I also wonder what the reaction will be as iraqis see the former leader being prodded, probed and picked over in such a humiliating posture. It could work into sympathy and more disgust over presumed american agression. The key really is to immediately improve and upgrade the current war-and-dictator-ravaged iraqi people, living conditions, wages, education etc.
And what stupidity on the american government’s part to pay the iraqi soldiers disgracefully low wages (NPR reported…$60 a month?) If this is accurate, how can we expect to win over the trust of the iraqis…or improve their lives…not to mention the rest of the world’s opinion of our gov?
Sadaam’s capture will be a relief for most iraqi, I’m sure.
By the way Chris, I’m having trouble reading your posting…sentences seem to have disappeared. Anyone else getting that weirdness of sentences running underneath other sentences or is it just my computer?
Dawne, stroke the mouse over the afflicted text. After highlighting, it should remain visible.
The description of the capture makes it sound unlikely that Saddam was directing any of the resistance.
But we shall see.
At any rate, the Administration has run out of excuses. It has the man who knows where the WMD were/are. It has the one man in Iraq singlehandedly capable of financing the resistance out of pocket.
So, let’s hope that this means a real change in direction for Iraq.
What new lies will Bush have to tell now to keep the quagmire going to next November? The other 13 from the most wanted list? That the resistance is still at large? That there are still Ba’athist out there somewhere? The Fedayeen? Whatever the lies will be, The Bush campaign and Haliburton/Bechtel will benefit. Of this I’m sure.
ok, can we all just get along now?
Something good has come out of this war. Let’s not blow it.
I’m having the same problem with half-lines, I reload the page, and it’s OK. But it only happens on this website. Strange!
It’s a pity. People are cheering in streets when their anti-intrusion hero is caught by occupation military force.
It’s wonderful, they do not need an old emperor to lead the resist action any more. It’s time for the real people’s war, their own war against robbery, for their own independent, not for any old dictator’s regime that had been brought up by US and then get defeated now by the same boss.
Although the war may proceeded more peacefully or more bloody. I believe Iraq people will get true freedom only by themselves.
It is hard for us to concieve of the mindset of a people who were oppressed for decades, empathize with their fear of reprisal, understand their distrust for authorities whom they do not know personally. The capture of Saddam is a step in changing that mindset, and my gut feel is that all knowing Saddam is finally finished will bring many another step closer to feeling they CAN come forward in the interest of progress. We must, in turn, nurture that feeling and empower it through actions and by non-military gestures. Can we? Definitely. Will we? I hope so.
Hmmm. Kind of sounds like the people of the USA (me included).
Yes, I know what you’re saying Terry, but many of us have this same fear of reprisal if we speak out (but I do). I hope you’re right about the Iraqi progress, but with our current administration assuming power in Iraq, I have my fears.
Please don’t take this as sarcasm. Im’ still angy at this war and the long history leading up to it.
Wayne, what kind of reprisal are you fearing?
Ron
Correction: Apparently it was not a bombing that killed the 12-17 Iraqis yesterday. It was a tanker truck accident. Maybe things are quieting down after all.
A little off-topic but just wanted to say I liked the layout of the site