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Without firing a shot, American forces captured a bearded and haggard-looking Saddam Hussein in an underground hide-out on a farm near his hometown of Tikrit, ending one of the most intensive manhunts in history.
The arrest was a huge victory for U.S. forces battling an insurgency by the ousted dictator's followers. "Ladies and
gentlemen, we got him," U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer told a news conference Sunday, eight months after American troops
swept into Baghdad and toppled Saddam's regime. "The tyrant is a prisoner." In the capital, radio stations played celebratory
music, residents fired small arms in the air in celebration and passengers on buses and trucks shouted, "They got Saddam!
They got Saddam!" Washington hopes Saddam's capture will help break the organized Iraq resistance that has killed more
than 190 American soldiers since President Bush declared major combat over on May 1 and has set back efforts at reconstruction.
U.S. commanders have said that while in hiding Saddam played some role in the guerrilla campaign blamed on his followers.
"A significant blow has been dealt to former regime elements trying to prevent coalition progress in Iraq," said Maj. Gen.
Ray Odierno, commander of 4th Infantry Division. He was speaking at a news conference in Tikrit. Saddam's capture comes almost
five months after his sons, Qusai and Odai, were killed July 22 in a four-hour gunbattle with U.S. troops in a hideout in
the northern city of Mosul. There was hope at the time that the sons' deaths would dampen the Iraqi resistance to the U.S.
occupation. But since then, the guerrilla campaign has mounted dramatically. Saddam was captured at 8:30 p.m. Saturday in
a walled farm compound in Adwar, a town 10 miles from Tikrit, said Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top U.S. military commander
in Iraq. The cellar was little more than a specially prepared "spider hole" with just enough space to lie down. Bricks and
dirt camouflaged the entrance. A Pentagon diagram showed the hiding place as a 6-foot-deep vertical tunnel, with a shorter
tunnel branching out horizontally from one side. A pipe to the concrete surface at ground level provided air. The entrance
to the hide-out was under the floor of a small, walled compound with a room in one corner and a lean-to attached to the room.
The tunnel was roughly in the middle of the compound. A U.S. defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Saddam
admitted his identity when captured. Sanchez, who saw Saddam overnight, said the deposed leader "has been cooperative and
is talkative." He described Saddam as "a tired man, a man resigned to his fate." "He was unrepentant and defiant," said Adel
Abdel-Mahdi, a senior official of a Shiite Muslim political party who, along with other Iraqi leaders, visited Saddam in captivity.
"When we told him, 'If you go to the streets now, you will see the people celebrating,'" Abdel-Mahdi said. "He answered, 'Those
are mobs.' When we told him about the mass graves, he replied, 'Those are thieves.'" The official added: "He didn't seem apologetic.
He seemed defiant, trying to find excuses for the crimes in the same way he did in the past." The White House said Saddam's
capture assures the Iraqi people that the deposed leader is gone from power for good. Eager to give Iraqis evidence that the
elusive former dictator had indeed been captured, Sanchez played a video at the news conference showing the 66-year-old Saddam
in custody. Saddam, with a thick, graying beard and bushy, disheveled hair, was seen as doctor examined him, holding his mouth
open with a tongue depressor, apparently to get a DNA sample. Saddam touched his beard during the exam. Then the video showed
a picture of Saddam after he was shaved, juxtaposed for comparison with an old photo of the Iraqi leader while in power. Iraqi
journalists in the audience stood, pointed and shouted "Death to Saddam!" and "Down with Saddam!" Though the raid occurred
Saturday afternoon American time, U.S. officials went to great length to keep it quiet until medical tests and DNA testing
confirmed Saddam's identity. DNA tests confirmed Saddam's identity, said the president of Iraqi Governing Council, Abdel-Aziz
al-Hakim. Saddam was being held at an undisclosed location, and U.S. authorities have not yet determined whether to hand him
over to the Iraqis for trial or what is status would be. Iraqi officials want him to stand trial before a war crimes tribunal
created last week. Amnesty International said Sunday that Saddam should be given POW status and allowed visits by the international
Red Cross. Ahmad Chalabi, a member of Iraq's Governing Council, said Sunday that Saddam will be put on trial. "Saddam will
stand a public trial so that the Iraqi people will know his crimes," said Chalabi told Al-Iraqiya, a Pentagon-funded TV station.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair hailed the capture, saying the deposed leader "has gone from power, he won't be coming
back." "Where his rule meant terror and division and brutality, let his capture bring about unity, reconciliation and peace
between all the people of Iraq," Blair said in brief comments at his 10 Downing St. office. In Tikrit, U.S. soldiers lit cigars
after hearing the news. Some 600 troops 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," Sanchez said. Two men "affiliated
with Saddam Hussein" were detained with him, and soldiers confiscated two Kalashnikov rifles, a pistol, a taxi and $750,000
in $100 bills, Sanchez said. The two men were "fairly insignificant" regime figures, a U.S. defense official said. Celebratory
gunfire erupted in the capital, and shop owners closed their doors, fearful that 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." 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." 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 proved elusive during the war, when at least two dramatic military strikes came up empty
in their efforts to assassinate him. Since then, he has appeared in both video and audio tapes. U.S. officials named him No.
1 on their list of 55 most-wanted Iraqis, the Ace of Spades in a special deck of most-wanted cards. Saddam's capture leaves
13 figures still at large from the list. The highest ranking figure among them is Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, a close Saddam aide
who U.S. officials have said may be directly organizing resistance. U.S. forces had indicated they did not think Saddam would
be captured alive.
President's address to the nation
Following is the text of President Bush's brief speech Sunday on the capture of Saddam Hussein:
Good afternoon.
Yesterday, December the 13th, at around 8:30 p.m. Baghdad time, United States military forces captured
Saddam Hussein alive. He was found near a farmhouse outside the city of Tikrit in a swift raid conducted without casualties.
And now the former dictator of Iraq will face the justice he denied to millions.
The capture of this man was crucial to the rise of a free Iraq. It marks the end of the road for him
and for all who bullied and killed in his name.
For the Baathist holdouts largely responsible for the current violence, there will be no return to
the corrupt power and privilege they once held.
For the vast majority of Iraqi citizens who wish to live as free men and women, this event brings further
assurance that the torture chambers and the secret police are gone forever.
And this afternoon, I have a message for the Iraqi people: You will not have to fear the rule of Saddam
Hussein ever again.
All Iraqis who take the side of freedom have taken the winning side. The goals of our coalition are
the same as your goals: sovereignty for your country, dignity for your great culture, and for every Iraqi citizen, the opportunity
for a better life.
In the history of Iraq, a dark and painful era is over. A hopeful day has arrived. All Iraqis can now
come together and reject violence and build a new Iraq.
The success of yesterday's mission is a tribute to our men and women now serving in Iraq. The operation
was based on the superb work of intelligence analysts who found the dictator's footprints in a vast country.
The operation was carried out with skill and precision by a brave fighting force. Our service men and
women and our coalition allies have faced many dangers in the hunt for members of the fallen regime and in their effort to
bring hope and freedom to the Iraqi people. Their work continues, and so do the risks.
Today, on behalf of the nation, I thank the members of our armed forces, and I congratulate them.
I also have a message for all Americans: The capture of Saddam Hussein does not mean the end of violence
in Iraq. We still face terrorists who would rather go on killing the innocent than accept the rise of liberty in the heart
of the Middle East. Such men are a direct threat to the American people, and they will be defeated.
We've come to this moment through patience and resolve and focused action, and that is our strategy
moving forward. The war on terror is a different kind of war, waged capture by capture, cell by cell and victory by victory.
Our security is assured by our perseverance and by our sheer belief in the success of liberty. And
the United States of America will not relent until this war is won.
May God bless the people of Iraq, and may God bless America.
Thank you.
Statement by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on the Capture of Saddam Hussein
Today is a momentous day for the Iraqi people. The Iraqi people have now been liberated in spirit, as well as in
fact. As they celebrate, we also stop to remember the many U.S. and Coalition forces who gave their lives to make this
moment possible including many brave Iraqis who served in their new security forces and who have died fighting for their country.
Thanks to all of them, the Iraqi people face a future, not of terror, but of freedom. Today, many Iraqis can dare to
believe what we have said from the beginning: that the era of the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein is over.
His terrorist regime is finished.
Yesterday's successful capture was the result of close coordination of intelligence
and a rapid, skillfully-executed military action by U.S. forces. It reflects hard work, the courage and the determination
of U.S. and coalition forces serving in Iraq. Americans can be enormously proud of them. And, it is important to remember,
that each is a volunteer. Each stepped forward to serve and to help fight the global war on terror.
Challenges
remain, to be sure. But, as President Bush said today, the United States will see this mission through.
We also
give thanks for all the brave young men and women in uniform, from 34 nations, who are serving in Iraq today as well
as those stationed in Afghanistan and across the world, defending freedom in the global war on terror. Though they are
far from home during this holiday season, they are serving a truly great cause the cause of liberty. As the American
people celebrate the holidays, we do so with gratitude in our hearts for the forces and for their families, who sacrifice
for us all.
Saddam's Rise and Fall
April 28, 1937 Saddam Hussein is born near Tikrit.
1955 Moves to Baghdad.
1956
Joins the Arab Baath Socialist Party.
1957 Denied admission to the Baghdad Military Academy.
1959 Attempts
to assassinate the prime minister of Iraq and is sentenced to death, although he later escapes to Syria and then to Egypt.
1962-1963 Studies law in Cairo, but does not earn a degree.
Feb. 8, 1963 Returns to Iraq after the Ramadan
Revolution and is elected to the Baath Party.
July 1968 Participates in a coup to overthrow Iraq's president and
the regime.
Nov. 9, 1969 Elected vice chairman of the Revolution Command Council.
June 1, 1972 Nationalizes
all of the oil companies in Iraq.
March 11, 1974 Helps implement the 'Autonomy Law' for Iraqi Kurdish Citizens,
who are forced to go to Iran.
July 16, 1979 Elected president of Iraq and chairman of Revolution Command Council.
Sept. 4, 1980 Initiates a war with Iran.
1982 Former President Bakr dies mysteriously. It
is widely suspected that Hussein was involved.
1987-1988 Saddam launches the Anfal Campaign against the Kurds:
180,000 Kurds disappear and 4,000 villages are destroyed.
March 1988 The Kurdish town of Halabaja is gassed: 5,000
people are killed and 10,000 are injured.
Aug. 8, 1988 Agrees to a ceasefire with Iran. Iraq wins the conflict.
August 1988 Kurdish villages
on the Turkish border are gassed. Thousands die.
Aug. 2, 1990 Saddam seizes Kuwait.
Jan. 16, 1991 The United States bombs Baghdad.
February
1991 President George H.W. Bush declares a ceasefire; the Persian Gulf War ends.
1993 Saddam breaks the peace
terms from the end of the Persian Gulf War. The U.S. bombs Iraq.
October 1998 Saddam fails to comply with United
Nations weapons inspectors, resulting in a four-day bombing raid by the United States.
1999 Throughout the year
continual airstrikes on Iraq.
2000 It is reported that Saddam has used humanitarian funds to build presidential
palaces and personal enrichment.
2002 Saddam allows U.N. weapons inspectors to return to Iraq.
February 2003 Dan Rather interviews
Saddam, who says he would not go into exile, claims Iraq does not have any weapons that go against U.N. resolutions.
March
19, 2003 The United States and other Coalition forces start bombing campaign in an effort to remove Saddam Hussein and
his regime from power
April 9, 2003 Baghdad falls to U.S.-led forces; Saddam's whereabouts unknown.
July
22, 2003 Saddam's sons and henchmen, Uday and Qusay, are killed in a firefight with U.S. troops.
Dec. 13, 2003
Saddam is captured by U.S. forces !!
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