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Commandos raid Saddamâs private fun park
Edited for brevity.With its Ferris wheel, merry-go-round and safari park it is the Iraqi version of Disneyland - the best entertainment money could buy for a sadistic dictator with a childish streak. While most of his countrymen struggled in poverty, Saddam Hussein spent hundreds of millions on his own private holiday resort. Alongside the amusement park there are palaces, villas, a fishing lake, a sports stadium, amphitheatre and casino. But yesterday the excitement at Saddamland was provided by US special forces as they swooped in by helicopter and, guns blazing, hunted for the tyrant and his henchmen. They blew their way into the buildings with grenades. The pictures showed full-length windows shattered with curtains billowing in the wind. It was in 1999 that Saddam opened the pleasure resort at Tharthar, 80km northwest of Baghdad, as part of celebrations for his 61st birthday. He named it Saddamiat and used it to reward his most faithful followers. The huge artificial lake is said to be his favourite fishing spot and the safari park is stocked with elephants and deer. The entrance to the pleasure park, which has its own rail link, is dominated by a towering bronze statue of Saddam in military uniform. About 500km southeast of Saddamland another monument to the regime's lavish spending on itself lay open to the elements yesterday. In the mud fields and flat-topped farmhouses around Basra, the palace of "Chemical Ali" stands out for kilometres. Its crenellated tower of yellowish stone rises above a stand of green date palms. It is a symbol of power. Or at least it used to be, because Ali doesn't live there any more. "...doesn't live." would suffice, thank you. Ali's palace has been comprehensively plundered. The fittings have gone from the walls. The light switches have been ripped out. The window panes have gone. The air-conditioning units have disappeared. There is not a scrap of furniture left. The 5m-deep pool is empty and quickly filling with dust. A man named Hassan stood next to his beaten-up Chevrolet in the heat outside. Its boot was bulging with timber and glass from the palace. He smiled as British soldiers approached. "Ali Chemical! Ali Chemical!" he said pointing at the palace. But it is 14 days since Ali fled. He would have stood in his tower countless times, looking out on a land where everyone's life depended on his whim. Now he is wanted for crimes against humanity. Actually, now he's wanted for compost. Posted by: Dar Steckelberg 2003-04-07 |
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