Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, July 29, 2003
Saddam's Bodyguard Seized in US Predawn Operation
A close bodyguard of deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was captured in a predawn operation in Saddam's hometown Tikrit, the US military announced Tuesday.
A close bodyguard of deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was captured in a predawn operation in Saddam's hometown Tikrit, the US military announced Tuesday.
Adnan Abdullah Abid al-Musslit, "one of Saddam's lifelong bodyguards," was captured alongside a security chief and a militia leader. The US forces were "close to catching Saddam," the military declared.
The captured bodyguard, frequently seen with Saddam in publicized photos, was considered one of those who seldom left the toppled Iraqi leader.
For days, the US forces have been stepping up the hunt for Saddam in his hometown, where a cache of anti-tank mines and gunpowder was uncovered hours before the capture of the bodyguard.
The US forces are zeroing in on Saddam with a reward of 25 million US dollars on his head, or for information leading to his arrest.
"A lot of people are stepping forward with information. He's running out of places to hide," the military said on Monday.
Washington plans to pay out 30 million dollars to an Iraqi informant after the US forces killed Saddam's sons, Uday and Qusay, in a raid last week in the northern city of Mosul.