Free Republic

There is no one on the Joint Chiefs of Staff who has visited Iraq more often than Gen. Mike Hagee, whose term as Commandant of the United States Marine Corps ends Monday. Hagee took over the Marine Corps just two months before the invasion of Iraq — and throughout his years as Commandant, he made a point of going there every two months to do a firsthand assessment of the battlefield. I spoke exclusively with the general about conditions in Iraq. You can listen to an extended portion of that interview here (video). As Commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary...

When the phone rang at 3:30 a.m. Sunday, Shoshan Sarkis didn't bother to pick it up. But when it rang again an hour later, she figured it must be something important. Her sister was calling, with news that Saddam Hussein had been captured. For years, Saddam had oppressed Sarkis' fellow Assyrians in her native Iraq. "We were very happy," she said. "We finally got him." Sarkis is assistant to the director of the Chicago-based Assyrian National Council of Illinois. She spent the day on the phone exchanging congratulations and planning a champaign celebration Sunday night at the council headquarters, 2450...

<p>After celebrating the capture of Saddam Hussein on Sunday, Iraqi exiles living in Phoenix began to debate his fate.</p> <p>Most were adamant that the former dictator should face justice in his own country and said they would like to see him executed in front of the Iraqi people.</p>

Local Iraqis jubilant about capture Many learn news from morning phone calls By Anne Krueger Sandra Dibble and Asher Price UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS December 15, 2003 For thousands of Iraqis living in San Diego County, Saddam Hussein's capture was news many greeted with jubilation yesterday. But others who spoke out against the Iraqi war cautioned that the arrest of the former dictator should be distinguished from the politics of the U.S. presence in Iraq. At a park in El Cajon, about 50 Shiite Muslims from Iraq danced and clapped, waving an American flag as they celebrated. "Happy is a very...

Islamabad, April 19, IRNA -- A senior leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam) on Saturday said Saddam Hussain bowed out under a deal forged with the United States. Syed Kabir Ali Wasti told IRNA here in an interview that Iraq's ex-president played the role of an agent of the US and facilitated its military action against his own country and people. "Saddam has been serving American interests for decades and, in this context, one cannot forget Iraq's war against Iran and its invasion of Kuwait," he said to substantiate his viewpoint. The analyst maintained that the ruling Iraqi...

Tracking Saddam's Billions CBS News 2 March 2003 Should he flee an allied invasion, life on the lam would be pretty cushy for Saddam Hussein. According to a financial investigator interviewed by CBS 60 Minutes Correspondent Steve Kroft, the value of the Iraqi dictator's holdings stashed around the world is expected to grow by $2.5 billion this year. Financial sleuth John Fawcett tells 60 Minutes that his investigation of wealth controlled by Saddam Hussein found assets estimated at between $10 and $20 billion, mostly skimmed from the sales of Iraqi oil. His holdings include American magazines, such as Elle, Car...

Iraq Hands Documents to U.N. Arms Chiefs By CHARLES J. HANLEY, AP Special Correspondent BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi officials gave the chief U.N. arms inspectors more documents during meetings Sunday morning, a day after the two sides had "useful" talks to answer some questions about old chemical and biological weapons. The value of the new documents delivered Sunday was not immediately clear, a spokesman for the International Atomic Energy Agency said after the session ended. The success or failure of the two days of talks could help decide the next steps taken by the U.N. Security Council in the months-long...