Saddam survived attack on building, say British intelligence sources

The Guardian (UK) ^ | Wednesday April 9, 2003 | Richard Norton-Taylor, Oliver Burkeman in Washington, and Rory McCarthy in Camp As Sayliya, Qatar

[WarSlut]

Saddam Hussein survived an attack on a building in Baghdad in which he was reported to have been meeting his sons Uday and Qusay on Monday afternoon, British intelligence sources said last night. "He was probably not in the building when it was bombed," a well-placed source said. The source added it was believed that President Saddam had been in the building earlier.

The American pilot of a B-1 bomber circling nearby was told the Iraqi president had entered the building. Twelve minutes later, the pilot dropped four 2,000lb joint direct attack munition bombs on it.

Intelligence sources declined to say how the information about the Iraqi leader's whereabouts was gleaned, whether from listening devices, special forces, or Iraqi informers on the ground. Pentagon officials had referred to three credible sources of "human intelligence" locating President Saddam in the building, in the upmarket district of Mansur, which is still under Iraqi control.

As fighting continued in Baghdad yesterday, American fire killed three journalists in attacks on the al-Jazeera office and on the Palestine Hotel on the east bank of the Tigris. At least 50 Iraqi fighters were killed, one American officer said, during a day in which US forces seized Rashid airport, in Baghdad, and fought back an Iraqi counterattack as they tightened their control of the capital. Coalition troops entered the city from the north for the first time, officials said.

The Iraqi information ministry and the Ba'ath party headquarters were apparently targeted by American bombs, and two US soldiers were injured in sniper fire.

The intelligence sources de scribed their view that President Saddam had not been killed in Monday's attack as a "preliminary assessment", presumably from intelligence in Baghdad. But the Pentagon said yesterday it could be days before it was known for certain who had died.

At least 40 senior officials were understood to be meeting President Saddam and his sons in a bunker at the back of the building, connected to a restaurant. Iraqi officials said they found two bodies in the rubble and were searching for another 14 they thought were still buried, but said no members of the leadership had been killed.

A Pentagon official said determining President Saddam's fate might rest on DNA tests - based on samples the US is rumoured to have obtained from his relatives or perhaps even the Iraqi leader himself.

Lieutenant Colonel Fred Swan, the bomber's weapons officer, said the crew had sensed it "might be the big one". But Major General Stanley McChrystal, at the Pentagon, said: "We do not have hard battle-damage assessment on what individuals were or were not there."

The US sought to play down the matter. "I don't think it matters that much. I'm not losing sleep trying to figure out if he was in there," the defence department spokeswoman, Torie Clarke, said.

"I don't know whether he survived," President George Bush said in Belfast. "The only thing I know is he's losing power."

In a counterattack which US commanders described as serious, Iraqi T-72 tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and surface-to-air missiles attacked coalition troops, and Iraqi soldiers drove trucks and buses full of fighters across the Tigris in an attempt to overrun a US position. And in a rare Iraqi strike, an American A-10 Thunderbolt tank buster aircraft was shot down. The pilot ejected and was rescued.

[leadpenny]

Good. We'll keep him running like a rat in a maze.

[Taxbilly]

Good, now we can catch him alive and hang his rear.

[MarylandPines]

Bulls***. We got him. I have way too much faith in our pilots to think otherwise.

[cricket]

(just read this on Drudge). . .hoping otherwise, of course, but this does confirm my feelings given how the tone has changed so dramatically since last night. . .

. . .if he is alive, may his luck soon run dead out. . .

[rageaholic]

Yeah, cos he was already killed.

[MinuteGal]

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Saddam didn't lay down a false trail that he'd be at that restaurant so that we'd bomb the aljareezas out of a residential neighborhood.

Leni

[Russell Scott]

History is filled with evil dead people. If he isn't dead (I think he is), I am hoping he can be captured, and let the Iraqi's have at him. Hanging him from one of his stautes would be poetic justice.

[HardStarboard]

This is good news - he should not be allowed to die quickly.
He should have a few seconds to consider his life before someone, hopefully an Iraqi he recognizes as one he tortured, puts a round between his eyes.

[11th_VA]

I kinda hope he's in the basement, with 900 tons of concrete over his exit door - he'll run out of food and water sometime ...

[eastforker]

anyone here know when the US had confirmation,positive ID that is,that Hitler was dead,I know the answer,do you?

[expatpat]

My tentative theory is that he may have laid a false trail to make his departure from the city easier. Of course, he may be dead meat, fresh or well-aged.

[Bobby777]

Saddam dead, alive, killed, alive, injured, alive, in hiding, alive, wounded, alive, blown up, alive, bombed, alive ... aye carumba ... each day he's either pushing up daisies or playing Monopoly with Uday and Qusay ...

until they show Saddam or his body on American TV (no thanks Al Jazeera) I guess I'm going to have to believe he's alive ... the one thing that makes me believe he might be dead is that Iraq hasn't attacked Israel (yet) ... and I think Saddam would give that order if he a) could or b) were alive ...

someday, we'll know ...

[Born to Conserve]

I'm tired of hearing stuff from un-named sources. The press are a bunch of lying bastards with no standards.

[PJ-Comix]

Saddam Hussein is like the Michael Myers of International Politics. No matter how many times we think we've killed him, he keeps coming back.

[tubebender]

How much intellligence do the Brits have in Baghdud ...

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Be my guess the Russians have broken some of our communications codes and are feeding info to Saddam. Pretty sure that is what is happening.