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Saddam's guard provided information that revealed his hiding place in Tikrit

Paris: «Asharq Al-Awsat»
On December 13, 2003, an American commando force arrested former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who disappeared from the picture immediately after the fall of the capital, Baghdad. Searching and arresting him was a priority for the US political and military leadership, especially after the operations targeting these forces escalated in a number of Iraqi regions. And everyone saw the scene of Saddam coming out of a narrow hole covered with grass, dirt and sand, and he was hiding under it in what looked like a primitive room dug under the ground, to which the air was reaching through a plastic pipe. Saddam was bearded, his hair was "trimmed", he did not appear to be afraid, but rather surprised, and surrounded by members of the American "Delta Force", which was tasked with capturing him.

However, to date, none of the soldiers who participated in the operation had dared to reveal the details that led to the arrest of the first wanted American forces (among the 55 wanted) in the locality called “Al-Dur” in the Tikrit region that traditionally supported Saddam’s rule, due to American law. Who orders the details to be kept silent until 2028, but Staff Sergeant Kevin Holland dared to break the ban, through podcast recordings called “Danger Close” devoted to American military affairs, which are run by former US Special Forces officer Jack Kerr. The latter succeeded in persuading military Kevin Holland to speak, and even to have his speech filmed, on the 9th of last December. Finally, Kerr released Hollande's "testimony". Two days ago, the newspaper "Le Figaro" reported some details of this testimony, bearing in mind that the American justice has not moved a finger until today, and has not pursued any of the two persons responsible for revealing one of the most important secrets that have been kept secret for two decades, especially the identity of the person who "sold" the president. The former Iraqi.

The Special Military Operations Command, whose headquarters are located in Tampa, Florida, follows a strict approach that prevents any of its members from speaking to the press in any way, but it seems that Kevin Holland wanted to take a risk, as if he was a buried secret perching on his chest that he could no longer cover. So speak, elaborate and prolong.

9 months have passed since the fall of Baghdad and Saddam remained free at large. His last appearance took place on April 9, when he climbed onto the roof of a car to address an audience of Iraqis when American tanks were at the entrances to the capital. The American leadership had launched Operation Red Dawn to capture Saddam, and allocated a large reward to whoever provides information leading to his arrest, and most importantly, thousands of soldiers and intelligence (Kevin Holland stated that the number reaches 30,000 infantrymen) have been recruited for this task. In addition to a narrow group of "Delta Force", including Holland, but all this remained fruitless until this force was able to seize the majority of Saddam's private guards, and most importantly, among them was M. a. M. Which Holland describes as being the "closest" to Saddam. According to Holland's account, M. He gave all the details about Saddam's hiding place in the village of "Al-Dur" overlooking the Tigris River, located 10 km from Tikrit, in an isolated farm leading to it by a straight road, which a group of men monitored to avoid any surprise.

The narrator asserts that M. He accompanied the American force and led it to Saddam's hiding place, which he reached at 8:30 in the evening. Holland describes the work of the group, which began to remove grass and soil, and reached a reinforced plastic sheet, which I removed, revealing under it the hole’s 3-meter-deep hole. In order to avoid any surprise or trap, a member of the force did not hesitate to use a bomb detonated in the corridor. After that, the squad that used the lights of its searchlight weapons made sure that Saddam was hiding in this place. For more details, Holland recounts that they lowered a police dog into the hole, but he retreated in fear.

The surprise was when the force heard a voice coming from under the hole, and the translator attached to the force responded in Arabic. Then the force saw two hands stretching out, then Saddam's head and body appeared, and one of them shouted: "Oh, horror, it's Saddam!" Then Saddam was taken out of the hole from which he came out carrying a "Glock 18" pistol. Once he was within reach, Holland recounts, one of the squad members hit him hard in the face to immobilize him. After Saddam regained his nerve, he addressed the American soldiers in English, saying, "I am Saddam Hussein, the president of Iraq, and I am ready to negotiate." And the response came to him: “We will see that later, brother.” One of them added, "President Bush sends his regards." After that, Saddam was transported by raft to Tikrit, and from there to Baghdad after his pistol, which was later presented to President Bush Jr., was taken from him. The gun is located today in the library that bears the name of the former president in Dallas.

Holland confirms that he personally went down to the room where Saddam was hiding, using the light on his gun, but then went back out to ask for another gun to improve visibility. In his description of the room, he says that it is two meters long and sufficient for a man to lie in it on a simple sofa, and its ceiling was supported by wooden planks, and it was equipped with a fan. Holland filmed a short video clip that was broadcast by Fox News. According to the information collected by the American side from the informants, Saddam used to spend most of his time outside, specifically in the farm near the hole, and that two of his private guards were in charge of the task of cooking.

In the raft that transported him, Saddam regained his composure "when it became clear to him that he would not be killed." And because the soldiers who were with him in the raft were afraid that he would jump out of it to escape from captivity; They surrounded him tightly and prevented him from moving. In the details, Holland says that one of the band members was holding his hair from behind and another with his beard from the front. According to Hollande, the conclusion reached by General Ricardo Sanchez, after he visited Saddam in his prison, is that the latter is "cooperating, willing to talk, and accepting his fate."