US forces has intensified their hunt for Saddam Hussein as more high-tech tools are being used in Iraq, the USA Today reported Wednesday.
The report said US forces are searching with satellites that record suspicious changes on the Iraqi terrain, spy aircraft that scour hiding spots with thermal scans and unmanned drones that feed live video to military headquarters in Iraq.
The radar in Apache helicopters, originally designed to target moving tanks, has been reconfigured to track cars and detect unusual traffic patterns, said Ted Martin, the 4th Infantry Division's operations officer.
"The systems, the people and the training we have here aren't designed to hunt one human being," Martin said. "But everything wehave can be applied to tracking down this key leader."
When the Army receives a report of a suspicious meeting, it will deploy unmanned planes and send in helicopters, Martin said. If the lead looks promising, infantry troops backed by Bradley fighting vehicles can be dispatched.
He said the US Army also has generated images of what Saddam could look like after nearly four months on the run. Some of the images show him with a beard, but without his trademark mustache.