SADDAM HUSSEIN CAPTURED

SkyNews ^ | December 14, 2003 | Staff

[Bubba_Leroy]

SADDAM HUSSEIN CAPTURED

Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been captured in his home town of Tikrit, according to reports.

There has been no independent verification of the news but Sky New's Foreign Editor Tim Marshall says the source of the news is usually reliable.

The US Defence Department says it has had no confirmation of the claims, which come from Iraqi Kurd leader Jalal Talabani, says the Iran news agency IRNA.

Hundreds of exultant people have taken to the streets of Kirkuk, firing weapons into the air in celebration.

A press conference has been announced for 12pm GMT.

In Baghdad, a spokeswoman for the US-led operation notified reporters that a "very important" announcement will be made at the press conference.

[clintonh8r]

Kerry on NBC and is pissed

Did he mention that he's a veteran?

[SauronOfMordor]

CNET News.com:

BAGHDAD, Iraq--Saddam Hussein, the deposed Iraqi leader, was captured in a raid on a farm house near Tikrit on Saturday night, American military officials confirmed Sunday.

The officials said they had used DNA tests to confirm his identity.

"We got him," American administrator L. Paul Bremer III said at a news conference here.

Coalition troops discovered Hussein hiding in a hole below the farm house, located in the town of Adwar, 10 miles from Tikrit.

Military officials said that Hussein had put up no resistance and that not one shot had been fired in the operation.

American officials hailed the discovery of Hussein as a major tactical victory in their fight to wipe out the vestiges of the old government.

Finding Hussein also solved one of the great mysteries that tormented the American-led occupation force in Iraq: whether he was still alive and, if so, where he was hiding. British Prime Minister Tony Blair welcomed Hussein's capture.

"This is very good news for the people of Iraq," he said in a statement released by his office. "It removes the shadow that has been hanging over them for too long of the nightmare of a return to the Saddam regime."

By midmorning in Washington, President Bush still had not made a public statement about the matter.

American officials hope the capture of Hussein will undermine the guerrilla-style insurgency that has left hundreds of coalition soldiers dead since President Bush declared an end to major combat operations on May 1.

"A man resigned"
At a news conference Sunday announcing Hussein's capture, American officials aired a video showing a bearded and scruffy-haired Hussein being examined by a doctor.

Hussein was in a six-to-eight-foot-deep "spider hole" that had been camouflaged with bricks and dirt, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez said at the news conference. The video showed an air vent and fan installed in the hole to allow Hussein to remain hidden for an extended period.

"The captive has been talkative and is being cooperative," General Sanchez said. Coalition troops captured two other Iraqis in the raid and seized two AK-47 assault rifles, a pistol and $750,000 in $100 bills, General Sanchez said.

He described Hussein's demeanor during the arrest, saying he seemed "a tired man--also, I think, a man resigned."

Officials said Hussein was being held at an undisclosed location and that American authorities had yet to decide whether to hand him over to the Iraqis for trial. Iraqi officials want him to stand trial before a war crimes tribunal created last week.

[TomGuy]

Kerry on NBC and is pissed

Did he mention that he's a veteran?

At least twice before I could tune him out. lol.

[Timeout]

Richard "Pretty Chicken" Engle is in Tikrit now (NBC).

Hey Richard! Next time the bullets start flying you can jump down in that hole and pull the dirt in after you!

He said he's got some interviews with the soldiers who were on the raid.

[MeekOneGOP]

[Nexus]

I think Dan Rather has gone insane. "Not the Sunni Triangle, but the triangle of his face..." "Not known if he shaved himself". ROTFLOL!

[xsmommy]

OMG, my 9 yo daughter is going to be having nightmares about that scene. she saw him on the screen and was absolutely horrified! so much for all those armani suits and decadent facials, manicures and pedicures. he has been living like the scum he truly is.

[wizardoz]

I switched to NBC to see what you're talking about, and I missed Kerry, but it's amazing, they want to cover the mood in Tikrit, where his sympathizers are, rather than in Baghdad, where they're deliriously happy.

[Timeout]

LOL!

Pretty Chicken just reported he'd heard a lot of celebratory "gunflower"!

[cmsgop]

Man if I only stayed up a little bit longer, I'm so happy I could pee.

[Rome2000]

ROFTFLOL

NBC is positively funereal in its coverage.

The one bimbette was hanging her head and biting her lower lip as she passed it back to Brokaw

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Lol! Good to know adults are keeping an eye on the hapless jihadist sympathizer.

[the invisib1e hand]

now abc is reporting how dangerous 'happy fire' of iraqi weapons is, and how 'skittish' it makes local troops. what a bunch of irrelevant horseshit.

[Happy2BMe]

"Tikrit has been the center of much speculation about Saddam as well. There is a lot of anxiety among Iraqis over where he might be and how much power he retains. People think maybe he returned to Tikrit. I even heard one rumor that he is driving a taxi cab."

Thanks for refreshing our memories on this pukebag's wanderings in his former paradise.

That little yellow taxi cab will surely be in a museum in the near future.

[TomGuy]

Farmhouse where the rat hole held the rat

[MinuteGal]

We had a power outage here from 2AM till just now (11 AM). No computer, no TV. Just found out now. Oh, brother!

First thing I noticed surfing the TV is anchors and pundits radiating unspoken gloom (except our guys and gals).

I'm ecstatic!

Leni

[the invisib1e hand]

"we must keep this in perspective. the capture of saddam hussein does not resolve the political issues in iraq..." some arab on abc.

[clintonh8r]

Saddam's Taxi....new hit sitcom on the WB..."Sorry...I don't go uptown!"

[Ex-Dem]

Just an FYI, NBC news is going to get some statements from troops who were involved in the capture of SH in a few minutes. (There're on commercial break right now, will return shortly)

[At _War_With_Liberals]

Just woke up.

As I'm channel surfing, FOX seems upbeat and the coverage has a tone of "Americans can celebrate a great event, the capture of Saddam is very important, etc.

Nbc- Russert's show (Dana Priest) looked like a funeral. And Gregory (moron son of a connected, media, showbiz NYC wealthy liberal) , said in his 1st sentence from the White House (para) Yes, they captured Hussein, but the insurgency is still a problem.

CSpin had an exsoldier on that opposes the war, and said it WAS WRONG to capture Saddam 1st, because Bin Laden is the one resp for 911?!?

Another one said all of the WoT money should go to 'programs' and it was wrong to hassle Saddam in 2003, because we did not in the 80's.

My point is that I am incredulous that everyone is not in a festive mood over the capture of Saddam. He is directly responsible for 1,000,000 deaths, for starters. Bravo for Fox's coverage.

Any media report playing this down, or somber, is a disgrace. If nothing else, it means that liberals do not give a damn about 1,000,000 murders.

Let's see how this is spun in the next few days. What a great day. Gonna be a FReeperfest today!