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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: John Carragher who wrote (20033)	12/15/2003 5:52:26 PM
From: LindyBill	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 793552

The only thing he has to bargain with is his life. Good article by Burns of the Times. December 15, 2003 A Small Piece of Fiber on Ground Yields Big Payoff for U.S. By JOHN F. BURNS New York Times AD DWAR, Iraq, Dec. 15 — A piece of fiber protruding from the dirt caught the eye of an American special forces soldier as he searched the courtyard of a rundown farm in northern Iraq on Saturday. The American military had been combing the Ad Dawr area as part of a nine-day hunt in an area around Tikrit, after questioning a prominent figure from a tribal family known to be close to Saddam Hussein. But it was this small detail — a tuft of fiber on a rubber mat — that ultimately betrayed Mr. Hussein's hiding place and ended the American military's hunt for the former Iraqi leader more than eight months after his ouster from power. Mr. Hussein is now being held at a location that the United States military will not disclose. American forces flew journalists to the dilapidated farmhouse today just outside of the town of Ad Dwar to give them a description of how the events leading to Mr. Hussein's capture had unfolded. The single-story farmhouse made of concrete blocks is edged by a courtyard and encircled by a fence of tree branches and palm fronds. Branches on orange trees hung low with fruit. Chickens and a single cow were cooped up in the yard, and dates and sausage were strung outside, apparently to cure In the first sweep through the area, the soldiers found nothing, according to a narrative provided by military officials. Then they combed it again. That was when one noticed the fiber. Only a sliver was evident under the dirt where he was standing. But the soldier thought it was strange. He and some comrades yanked at the mat, and it came up to reveal a styrofoam slab with handles. They pulled on them, and the plug came loose from a shaft leading into the ground. The soldiers were prepared to throw a grenade into the gloomy depths when two hands suddenly appeared. The soldiers reached down and pulled out a man, disheveled, bearded and apparently disoriented from the cramped underground confines where he had been hiding. "I am Saddam Hussein, president of Iraq," the man told his captors in halting English. "I am willing to negotiate." A special forces soldier replied, "President Bush sends his regards." Visitors to the shaft today could see that it dropped down about eight feet into a coffinlike space made of concrete, its roof supported by wooden beams. At one end is a ventilator fan, and a steel pipe supplied ventilation near the floor. A small neon bulb provided some light. The space was just large enough for a man about six feet tall to lie down. The military said that Mr. Hussein had had an assault rifle and a pistol with him, but today the only items visible inside were a plastic bag and some Q-tips. The search missions for Iraqi officials wanted by the United States in Iraq involve what the military calls high-value targets. The code name for Saturday's mission was H.V.T.-1. After Mr. Hussein was taken into custody, a special forces soldier radioed Col. James Hickey, 43, of Chicago, who is in charge of the First Brigade of the Fourth Infantry Division and the special operations forces who formed the core of the raid. "We believe we have H.V.T.-1," the soldier said, adding a moment later that he believed him to be the fugitive Iraqi leader. Colonel Hickey then radioed his superior with the news. But he said there were no celebrations on the spot. "This was business," he told reporters. The colonel said the team followed standard procedures, which call for people taken into custody to be manacled with plastic cuffs and put into loose hoods before they are taken away. Mr. Hussein's capture culminated a search over the last nine days that involved several raids in the Tikrit area. The target area was just over a mile long and a half mile wide. The farmhouse where Mr. Hussein was found is nestled along the reed banks of the Tigris River. As journalists flew in today by helicopter over the flatlands and banks, farmers and their children waved from the ground. Military officials said two men at the farmhouse were also taken into custody, but they were not immediately identified. The interior of the farmhouse was spare, with two beds. Possessions that the American military believed were Mr. Hussein's were strewn about, including Arabic poetry books, new sandals, shoes, socks and unopened boxer shorts and T-shirts. Over the door to the hut were the words, in Arabic, "Praise be to God, the most Merciful." nytimes.com