Posted on 07/24/2003 8:00:25 AM PDT by TomGuy
From BRIAN FLYNN in New York
US officials are considering whether to release grisly pictures of the brothers bodies to convince Iraqis they really are dead.
The photos, shown to reporters in Baghdad, show that the men had changed their appearance in a bid to evade capture. Both brothers had grown long beards and Uday had also shaved his head. They were positively identified by four officials of the old regime. They included Saddams former deputy Tariq Aziz and his closest aide Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti the Ace of Diamonds in the Deck of Death playing cards. Jubilant President George Bush last night spoke of his joy that the pair had been hunted down and killed. He said: Now more than ever, all Iraqis can know that the former regime is gone and will not be coming back. Details of the bathroom bloodbath emerged as the full dramatic story of Tuesdays battle 280 miles north of Baghdad was told. Witness Anis Dosi said: It seemed they wanted to shoot the house down piece by piece. The gunfire never stopped and I could see pieces of mortar falling.
Occasionally there were shots coming out from the house, from the upper floor. Troops had moved in at 10pm after a tip-off to Americas 101st Airborne Division that Uday, 40, and Qusay, 37, were holed up inside the Mosul home of businessman Nawaf Zaydan a cousin of Saddam and a member of his Abu Nasr tribe. A patrol approached the villa and demanded to search it but got no answer. Soldiers entering the building were met by a hail of bullets from the first floor.
Two OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters joined in, firing 2.75-inch rockets and at least one missile at the upper floors of the house, starting a fire. When the gunships had finished their work there was silence. Mosul baker Abdul Jabbar Arif, 47, said: It went suddenly quiet, even the wind stilled. It was like the inside of my ovens, so oppressive and quiet. Then the soldiers went in and began pulling the bodies out. They carried them on old blankets. On one, I could see the body of a man wearing an Arabic dishdasha. It was soaked in blood and I could see he was wearing around his middle a belt for guns. His head fell to one side, off the blanket and I could tell immediately that it was Uday.
Of course I recognised him. You must understand every Iraqi came to recognise Uday. No one ever made the mistake of not recognising him. Arifs shop is less than 30 yards from the villa and owner Zaydan was a customer. He said: On Monday night Nawaf came in and asked me for 35 pieces of bread. I was surprised and he said he had some guests for dinner. They were important men and were very hungry. He noticed two black BMW cars parked in the driveway Next day he saw a US armoured vehicle stop outside Zaydans house, just behind his blue BMW. Arif said: The soldiers quickly led Zaydan and his 17-year-old eldest son Shalan away. I thought something was wrong.
I heard a shot from inside the house. One of the soldiers was hit in the leg. Then the shooting began. Locals are convinced businessman Zaydan himself turned in the Hussein brothers for the £20million bounty on their heads. It is thought he sought revenge for the jailing of his brother by the regime. Witnesses say they saw him calmly smoking a cigarette in the back of a US military vehicle as the fierce assault destroyed his home. The villa was still smouldering yesterday. Parts of it were barely standing. A mattress propped at a window to protect those inside was riddled with bullets. Lieut General Ricardo Sanchez, commander of the Coalition ground forces, said dental records had confirmed the identities of Saddams sons. In Udays case there was a 90 per cent match but damage to his teeth made a 100 per cent match impossible. The General also revealed that one of Saddams cousins ranked number 11 on Americas list of 55 most-wanted Iraqi fugitives had been captured in Baghdad. Barzan Abd Al-Ghafur Sulayman Majid al-Tikriti was commander of Saddams Special Republican Guard. The US military has now seized or killed 37 of those on the list.
|
But alas, it's now hell's turn to smell a little bit worse.
Its a lot hotter than a bakers oven where these two have retired.
CB^0
Appropriate, I think.
Yes it is, and it will last just a tad longer than the two of them would like. They made their pact with the devil. They sowed to the wind, they shall reap the whirl wind.
I think he'll be able to afford a new one.
Saddam sons killed in loo [bathroom] Excerpt:EVIL Uday and Qusay Hussein were blasted to Hell by US troops as they cowered in a grubby toilet, it was revealed last night.
The bloodthirsty brothers were gunned down after a TOW missile slammed into the reinforced concrete villa where they had been tracked down in Mosul, Northern Iraq.
When the shooting stopped, their charred, bullet-riddled bodies were found slumped in the filthy loo, the Pentagon said.
Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my General Interest ping list!. . .don't be shy.
Now THAT'S satisfaction!
Yep - a real Marlboro Moment. ;^)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.