http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/text/2003/jul/22/072209695.html
Saddam Hussein's sons Odai and Qusai died in a blaze of gunfire and rockets
Tuesday when U.S. forces, acting on a tip from an Iraqi informant, stormed a
palatial villa in northern Iraq. The U.S. military claimed their deaths will
blunt Iraqi resistance to the American occupation.
The six-hour raid was the most successful American operation since the war
and comes as a much-needed tonic for U.S. troops, who recently have suffered
a dozen attacks a day by Saddam loyalists and other anti-American groups.
News of the sons' deaths touched off celebratory gunfire in Baghdad and at
least one southern city. But L. Paul Bremer, Iraq's top civilian
administrator, cautioned there will be some people who will be pretty
unhappy that we killed these two guys.
Four coalition soldiers were wounded and two other Iraqis were killed in the
raid, but Saddam was not among them. The house belonged to Nawaf al-Zaydan
Muhhamad, a Saddam cousin and tribal leader in the region.
We are certain that Odai and Qusai were killed today, Lt. Gen. Ricardo
Sanchez told reporters in Baghdad. The bodies were in such a condition
where you could identify them.
The identifying marks included Odai's scars from a 1996 assassination
attempt, a senior defense official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The soldiers removed four bodies and did not let photographers take
pictures. The other two bodies were tentatively identified as that of a
bodyguard and a teenager, U.S. officials said, adding that the teen may have
been a son of Qusai and grandson of Saddam.
The daily attacks on U.S. occupation troops are thought to be the work of
former military officers and Baath Party leaders loyal to Saddam and his
family - especially the sons, who played primary roles in the military and
feared security services.
Outstanding, said 1st Lt. Greg Wilson, 33, with the Florida Army National
Guard in Baghdad. He clapped his hands and said: One step closer to getting
home.
Both Odai (pronounced oh-DEYE), 39, and Qusai (pronounced koh-SEYE), 37,
ranked second only to their father in the deposed regime. They were Nos. 2
and 3 on the U.S. list of 55 top former Iraqi officials wanted by
Washington. The United States had offered a $25 million reward for
information leading to Saddam's capture and $15 million each for his sons.
The White House applauded the action.
Over the period of many years, these two individuals were responsible for
countless atrocities committed against the Iraqi people and they can no
longer cast a shadow of hate on Iraq, it said in a statement.
Secretary of State Colin Powell said, The Iraqi people are safer today. We
will pursue the other members of his murderous regime wherever they might be
hiding.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, speaking during a trip to Hong Kong,
hailed the deaths of the two evil sons of Saddam, saying that they help
lead a regime responsible for the torture and killing of thousands and
thousands of innocent Iraqis.
Sanchez said he thought the security situation now would improve.
I believe very firmly this will have an effect. This will prove to the
Iraqi people that these two members of the Iraqi regime will never come to
power again, the general said.
Ahmad Chalabi, a delegate from Iraq's new Governing Council, agreed. This
will contribute significantly to reducing attacks on coalition soldiers, he
said, speaking at the United Nations.
After the firefight in Mosul, about 1,000 people gathered outside the
smoldering villa, some expressing delight, others cursing the Americans.
How can they do this? shouted a man in the crowd, apparently more
concerned with the property damage than the death of two of the cruelest men
in Saddam's regime. What are the Americans doing destroying a house like
this?
Hours later, gunfire erupted throughout Baghdad. The shooting was believed
to be celebratory as news spread of the sons' deaths.
But a unit of the Florida Army National Guard, believing that it was coming
under fire from 30 yards away, shot a man twice in the chest and a girl who
looked to be between 6 and 8 once in the head. As the unit retreated under
orders, a medic treated the girl, who was taken to a hospital in a passing
car.
People in the predominantly Shiite Muslim city of Diwaniyah in the south
also opened fire in celebration, shooting thousands of rounds into the air.
A bullet hit a U.S. Marine guarding a base in the city, a military official
said. The official said the Marine was hit in the back and underwent
surgery.
Iraqi Shiites, who are the majority in the country, were oppressed by Saddam
during his 23-year rule.
The gunfight in Mosul broke out after soldiers from the 101st Airborne
Division surrounded the stone, columned villa.
When soldiers approached the building, gunmen inside opened fire with small
arms. The suspects barricaded themselves in the house and resisted
fiercely, Sanchez said. They died in a
