On December 13, 2003, at 8 p.m. local Iraq time in a remote farm house near Tikrit, the U.S. 4th Infantry Division apprehended World Public Enemy #1: former dictator and tyrant Saddam Hussein. The capture marks an end to three decades of iron-fisted
rule over Iraq, and opens the door for a freer, more democratic nation.
Operation “Red Dawn” was launched after intelligence identified two likely locations near the town of Ad Dwar where Saddam was hiding. The First Brigade Combat team of the 4th ID was assigned the mission to capture or kill Saddam Hussein.
Maps from the Raid:
This DoD slide indicates the general area where the capture took place: Ad Dawr, 15 km south of Tikrit. "Wolverine 1" and "Wolverine 2" indicate the two positions that intelligence suggests Saddam is hiding.
A closer look at the objective area. At 1900 hours on December 13, the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 4th Infantry Division, in coordination with Special Ops forces, attacks location HVT #1 in order to occupy it for operations. The attack force includes 600 soldiers, 30 HMMWVs, a cavalry troop, an AH-64D Longbow helicopter company, and Paladin artillery.
At about 2000 hours Coalition forces assault the Wolverine #1 and #2 objectives, but initially do not find the target. The 1st Brigade Combat Team elects to cordon the area and begin an intensive search. Coalition forces subsequently find a suspicious location to the northwest of Wolverine 2. The map above details this location. Saddam Hussein is eventually discovered in the hole in the farm house (marked in red).
A closer look at the "spider hole" where Saddam is found hiding. The spider hole is about six to eight feet deep, and allows enough space for a person to lie down inside of it. Saddam is captured without resistance, and at about 2115 hours he is moved to a secure area. A further search of the hole and surrounding area is conducted.
Results from the raid include confiscation of two AK-47s, a pistol, 750,000 U.S. dollars in 100-dollar denominations, and a white and orange taxi. Two other Iraqis affiliated with Saddam Hussein are also detained. Saddam Hussein is currently under Coalition custody and at an undisclosed location.
Official CENTCOM News Release on Saddam Hussein's Capture:
December 14, 2003
Release Number: 03-12-32
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SADDAM HUSSEIN CAPTURED, IN COALITION CUSTODY
Forces from the 4th Infantry Division, coalition forces and special operations forces captured former Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, at approximately 8 p.m. local time yesterday in a remote farm house near Tikrit, Iraq.
Operation “Red Dawn” was launched after gaining actionable intelligence identifying two likely locations near the town of Ad Dwar. The First Brigade Combat team of the 4th ID was assigned the mission to capture or kill Saddam Hussein.
The Forces involved in the operation consisted of approximately 600 soldiers including cavalry, artillery, aviation, engineer and special operations forces. The forces cleared the two objectives but initially did not find the target. An additional suspicious site was identified and searched. The area was a small, walled, mud hut compound with a metal lean-to structure. Within the structure a “spider hole” entrance, camouflaged with bricks and dirt was located. The hole was about 6-8 feet deep with space allowing an individual to lie down. Saddam Hussein was found hiding at the bottom of the hole. He was captured without resistance and is in the control of coalition forces at an undisclosed location
Items confiscated during the raid include two AK-47 rifles, a pistol, $750,000.00 U.S. dollars and one white/orange taxi. Two other individuals who have not been identified were also detained.
No one was injured in the operation. Saddam appears in good health and is undergoing further evaluation.
Click on any thumbnail below to see a larger photo.
Altered photos of Saddam Hussein released by CENTCOM
The altered photos of Saddam Hussein below were issued to coaltion troops in Iraq on July 31, 2003, to better help them recognize the wanted former Iraqi leader.
"With the capture of the former dictator, the enemies of a free Iraq have lost their leader and they've lost any hope of regaining power. The nightmare of the Baathist tyranny is finally over."
-- President George W. Bush
Saddam Hussein: Biography
President of Iraq since 1979 (Vice President from 1968-79), Saddam Hussein was born in 1937, and raised near Tikrit, north of Baghdad. At a young age he became an enforcer for the Baath (renaissance) Party, and gained political influence using a combination of intimidation, fear, nepotism, and murder.
The Baath party came to political power in Iraq in the 1960s, and
by 1969 Saddam had been installed as Chief of Iraq's security services, where he earned the reputation of being a ruthless executioner of opponents and suspected potential rivals. By 1977 the party bureaus, the intelligence mechanisms, and even ministers who should have reported to Iraqi President Ahmad Hasan al Bakr, were reporting to Saddam Hussein. On July 16, 1979, President Bakr resigned, and Saddam Hussein officially replaced him as president of the republic, secretary general of the Baath Party Regional Command, chairman of the RCC, and commander in chief of the armed forces. On July 17, 1979, he was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal.
"The intimidation and fear this man generated for over 30 years are now gone. Many will rest much better tonight knowing Iraq is moving forward to a more secure environment."
-- Maj. Gen Raymond T. Odierno, commander of the Army's 4th Infantry Division
During his tenure, Saddam Hussein's more notorious actions include:
The 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, which left 150,000 to 340,000 Iraqis and 450,000 to 730,000 Iranians dead
Ordering the use of chemical weapons against Iranian forces in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, and against Iraq's Kurdish population in 1988
The invasion and destruction of Kuwait in 1990-91, with 1,000 Kuwaitis killed; this action led to the Gulf War
The 1991 bloody suppression of Kurdish and Shi'a insurgencies in northern and southern Iraq, with at least 30,000 to 60,000 killed
Saddam has been married to the same woman, former schoolteacher Sajida, since 1958. They have five children, three daughters and two sons (both sons deceased).
A closer look at the objective area. At 1900 hours on December 13, the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 4th Infantry Division, in coordination with Special Ops forces, attacks location HVT #1 in order to occupy it for operations. The attack force includes 600 soldiers, 30 HMMWVs, a cavalry troop, an AH-64D Longbow helicopter company, and Paladin artillery.
A closer look at the "spider hole" where Saddam is found hiding. The spider hole is about six to eight feet deep, and allows enough space for a person to lie down inside of it. Saddam is captured without resistance, and at about 2115 hours he is moved to a secure area. A further search of the hole and surrounding area is conducted.
Results from the raid include confiscation of two AK-47s, a pistol, 750,000 U.S. dollars in 100-dollar denominations, and a white and orange taxi. Two other Iraqis affiliated with Saddam Hussein are also detained. Saddam Hussein is currently under Coalition custody and at an undisclosed location.
