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U.S. Troops Capture Saddam Bodyguard
EFLAmerican soldiers overpowered and arrested a bodyguard who rarely left Saddam Husseinâs side Tuesday and said they obtained documents and information that could help them close in on the former dictator. As "one of Saddamâs lifelong bodyguards," Adnan Abdullah Abid al-Musslit was believed to have detailed knowledge of the former presidentâs hiding places, said Lt. Col. Steve Russell, who led the raid. He said documents taken from the home and information obtained from the men would be useful in the hunt for Saddam. "Every guy we get tightens the noose," said Russell, commander of the 4th Infantry Divisionâs 22nd Infantry Regiment.
"steely knives"? Somebody has been listening to Hotel California way too many times. But the series of pre-dawn raids in the heart of the deposed dictatorâs hometown nabbed a total of 12 people, including Daher Ziana, the former head of security in Tikrit, and Rafa Idham Ibrahim al-Hassan, a leader of the Saddam Fedayeen militia. The raids began at 4 a.m. when soldiers fired three shotgun blasts into the locks of the house where bodyguard al-Musslit was living with his family. Moments later, an Associated Press reporter watched as soldiers pulled al-Musslit from the house, bleeding and barefoot. Soldiers stripped him to his underwear, searching for weapons, and dragged him into an Army Humvee. Gonna have to hose that sucker off. A medic examined the right side of his forehead, where blood seeped through the wide tan cloth that was wrapped over his eyes as a blindfold. Hope itâs painful. About a block away, soldiers stormed a house where Ziana was living, emerging from one the houseâs ornate arched entrances with four men with their hands tied behind their back. One of the men was identified as Ziana, Saddamâs security chief in Tikrit. Six women, some clutching the hands of small children, wailed as soldiers threw photographs and documents into the driveway. A large portrait of Saddam lay alongside a picture of Ziana in uniform. One album featured a photo of women posing with Kalashnikov rifles. Ummm, naked chicks with guns. Among the documents was something called a "Saddam Privilege Card," Russell said. Stamped "expired". Nearby, soldiers pulled al-Hassan from another house, Russell said. Al-Hassan was believed to be a Brigadier General and a leader of the Fedayeen militia, which is suspected in the mounting attacks on U.S. troops. The men were taken to an Army detention facility in Tikrit where they will be interrogated, Russell said. Posted by: Steve 2003-07-29 |
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