Seraphim
07-27-2003, 04:40 AM
http://www.msnbc.com/news/943984.asp
July 25 — Saddam Hussein escaped by 10 minutes a restaurant bombed by U.S. missiles and attended public prayers at a Baghdad mosque after the fall of the capital, while his son, Odai, recently killed by the U.S. military, reveled in driving past American patrols unnoticed, Odai’s personal bodyguard recounted in an interview about the family’s movements
AS COALITION BOMBS rained on Baghdad in March, Saddam’s family stayed put, said a man claiming to be Odai’s bodyguard in an interview with The Times of London. The man agreed to speak to the newspaper under the pseudonym Abu Tiba.
Abu Tiba said Saddam, Odai and Qusai, Saddam’s other son killed by U.S. troops on Wednesday, were so convinced they could hold the capital that all three remained in the city until at least one week after it fell.
When the war started with a U.S. attack on a home in southern Baghdad, Saddam and Odai were in another safe house on the other side of the city, according to The Times report. But a second precision strike came much closer to hitting its target.
The bodyguard told the newspaper that after several safe houses had been destroyed, Saddam suspected that one of his trusted commanders had become an informant. Saddam reportedly asked the suspect to secure an area behind a restaurant for a meeting. The former Iraqi leader arrived at the prescribed site, but left almost immediately. Less than 10 minutes later, it was bombed. Saddam subsequently had the informant executed.
When Baghdad fell, Saddam and his sons were sheltered in separate homes in Adhamiya, a Sunni neighborhood teeming with supporters loyal to Saddam’s Baath Party. It was in that district that Saddam made a televised appearance in front of cheering crowds several days before the fall of the city. Abu Tiba told The Times that the former Iraqi leader also attended Friday prayers at a mosque just a few miles from the U.S. military patrols that had taken control of the city. Before a crowd of questioning faces, Saddam stated that he would soon be back in power.
ODAI PASSED TROOPS UNNOTICED
After Saddam’s appearance at the mosque, none of the family members were seen in public again. But they traveled from safe house to safe house with ease. Abu Tiba said that on one occasion Odai drove an unmarked car past a convoy of American vehicles without being noticed. Odai, known for being a cruel playboy, allegedly took pleasure in the incident.
Saddam and his sons only decided to leave Baghdad when they realized that their conventional forces had betrayed them. As the regular army and Republican Guard fell into disarray, Odai took great pride in the steadfast fighting of his Fedayeen paramilitaries. Having fallen from his father’s grace for his violent temper, laziness and womanizing, Odai attempted to vanquish his past through his command of the elite guerrilla force, according to Abu Tiba. He believed that Odai remained in charge of the Fedayeen until the day he died.
The Times report said that Saddam had not devised a resistance movement prior to the war, because he trusted that he would remain in power. Plans for the resistance were only drawn up several days after the war ended in a private meeting that Abu Tiba did not attend.
Shortly afterward, Odai relieved the bodyguard of his duties without saying where he was headed. Abu Tiba told the newspaper that Saddam’s family no longer trusted anyone but their relatives.
By Jennifer Carlile
July 25 — Saddam Hussein escaped by 10 minutes a restaurant bombed by U.S. missiles and attended public prayers at a Baghdad mosque after the fall of the capital, while his son, Odai, recently killed by the U.S. military, reveled in driving past American patrols unnoticed, Odai’s personal bodyguard recounted in an interview about the family’s movements
AS COALITION BOMBS rained on Baghdad in March, Saddam’s family stayed put, said a man claiming to be Odai’s bodyguard in an interview with The Times of London. The man agreed to speak to the newspaper under the pseudonym Abu Tiba.
Abu Tiba said Saddam, Odai and Qusai, Saddam’s other son killed by U.S. troops on Wednesday, were so convinced they could hold the capital that all three remained in the city until at least one week after it fell.
When the war started with a U.S. attack on a home in southern Baghdad, Saddam and Odai were in another safe house on the other side of the city, according to The Times report. But a second precision strike came much closer to hitting its target.
The bodyguard told the newspaper that after several safe houses had been destroyed, Saddam suspected that one of his trusted commanders had become an informant. Saddam reportedly asked the suspect to secure an area behind a restaurant for a meeting. The former Iraqi leader arrived at the prescribed site, but left almost immediately. Less than 10 minutes later, it was bombed. Saddam subsequently had the informant executed.
When Baghdad fell, Saddam and his sons were sheltered in separate homes in Adhamiya, a Sunni neighborhood teeming with supporters loyal to Saddam’s Baath Party. It was in that district that Saddam made a televised appearance in front of cheering crowds several days before the fall of the city. Abu Tiba told The Times that the former Iraqi leader also attended Friday prayers at a mosque just a few miles from the U.S. military patrols that had taken control of the city. Before a crowd of questioning faces, Saddam stated that he would soon be back in power.
ODAI PASSED TROOPS UNNOTICED
After Saddam’s appearance at the mosque, none of the family members were seen in public again. But they traveled from safe house to safe house with ease. Abu Tiba said that on one occasion Odai drove an unmarked car past a convoy of American vehicles without being noticed. Odai, known for being a cruel playboy, allegedly took pleasure in the incident.
Saddam and his sons only decided to leave Baghdad when they realized that their conventional forces had betrayed them. As the regular army and Republican Guard fell into disarray, Odai took great pride in the steadfast fighting of his Fedayeen paramilitaries. Having fallen from his father’s grace for his violent temper, laziness and womanizing, Odai attempted to vanquish his past through his command of the elite guerrilla force, according to Abu Tiba. He believed that Odai remained in charge of the Fedayeen until the day he died.
The Times report said that Saddam had not devised a resistance movement prior to the war, because he trusted that he would remain in power. Plans for the resistance were only drawn up several days after the war ended in a private meeting that Abu Tiba did not attend.
Shortly afterward, Odai relieved the bodyguard of his duties without saying where he was headed. Abu Tiba told the newspaper that Saddam’s family no longer trusted anyone but their relatives.
By Jennifer Carlile