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| Iraq |
| US hopes raised of Saddam hit |
| 2003-06-23 |
| Officials in the United States have expressed hope that a strike on a convoy in Iraq may have killed former President Saddam Hussein or his sons. Investigations, including DNA testing, are reported to be taking place into the identities of the victims in last week's air strike. Confusion still reigns about the level of intelligence which prompted the attack, as defence sources have given widely varying accounts of events to the media. The Pentagon has refused officially to confirm or deny that an attempt to kill the former Iraqi leader has taken place. But the speculation has led to optimism that the Iraqi leader may have been killed. I'm not holding my breath Spokesmen for the US Central Command have turned down all opportunities to confirm or deny on the record reports that American Hellfire missiles were fired from an unmanned aircraft. Predator's R'Us. But plenty of speculation is going on off the record. Demonstrating the level of uncertainty that still surrounds events, one unnamed administration official told the New York Times that a good intelligence lead had instigated the convoy attack. But another said: "I have no information that leads us to believe we got Saddam." Officials said a team was moving in to try to recover the DNA of those who were in the convoy in order to check their identities, but it was unclear whether or not that work had begun. The search for the deposed leader has intensified since the capture of his close aide, Mahmud al-Tikriti, who has told American interrogators that Saddam Hussein and his sons are still alive. Last week's air strike is reported to have taken place near the Syrian border in western Iraq. Gee, what a surprise! Mahmud al-Tikriti said he had fled to Syria with the former president's two sons, Uday and Qusay but they had later returned to Iraq. Did they want to return, or were they asked to leave? |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 More details: Defense officials said yesterday that they were investigating whether a strike on a three-vehicle convoy fleeing Iraq near the Syrian border last Wednesday killed top officials in the government of former president Saddam Hussein, perhaps including Hussein or his sons. The officials said that DNA tests were being carried out on the victims, and the AC-130 gunship strike by Special Operations forces had drawn high-level attention in the Pentagon. But they added that so far there was no evidence Hussein was hit. The attack on the moving convoy took place close to the Syrian border in western Iraq, officials said. One source said the strike "chewed up something big" and added that the targets were believed to be among the top four or five Iraqis being sought. Separately, a senior defense official said there was "nothing specific" about Hussein in the intelligence that prompted the attack, "although it was tied to the leadership in some manner or another." A third U.S. official said there was very good intelligence that "one or more high-value targets" were in the convoy. |
| Posted by: Steve 6/23/03 9:27:56 AM |