Saddam's Guard Gave Information About his Hideout in Tikrit

US doctor inspecting Saddam Hussein after his arrest (File photo: Getty)
US doctor inspecting Saddam Hussein after his arrest (File photo: Getty)
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Saddam's Guard Gave Information About his Hideout in Tikrit

US doctor inspecting Saddam Hussein after his arrest (File photo: Getty)
US doctor inspecting Saddam Hussein after his arrest (File photo: Getty)

A US commandos force arrested former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who disappeared immediately after the toppling of his regime. The search and arrest of Saddam was a priority for the US political and military leadership, especially after the operations targeting these forces escalated in several Iraqi regions.

Everyone saw the scene of Saddam covered with grass, dirt, and sand, coming out of what looked like a primitive room underground, ventilated through a plastic pipe.

Saddam was bearded, with bushy hair, and appeared surprised rather than scared. He was surrounded by members of the Delta Force, which was tasked with capturing him.

However, to date, none of the soldiers who participated in the operation dared to reveal the details of the process in Ad-Dawr, Tikrit, which traditionally supported Saddam.

Under US law, details of the operations are supposed to be kept confidential until 2028. However, retired Army Master Sergeant Kevin Holland revealed details of the operation during an episode of "Danger Close" podcast with Navy SEAL and Task Unit Commander Jack Carr.

Last December, Carr persuaded Holland to reveal information about the operation during a videotaped interview.

The Special Operations Command in Tampa, Florida, follows a strict approach that prevents members from speaking to the press. Still, it seemed that Holland wanted to relieve his conscious.

Nine months have passed since the fall of Baghdad, and Saddam remained free at large. He was last seen on Apr. 09, when he mounted a car to address the crowds.

The US launched Operation Red Dawn to capture Saddam, setting a large reward to whoever provided information leading to his arrest.

Holland reported that over 30,000 soldiers and intelligence were recruited to this operation, In addition to a small group of Delta Force, including Holland.

All efforts were fruitless until the forces captured Saddam's private guards, namely M.A.M, who gave details about the former president's hiding place.

The hideout was in a farm set in a deserted expanse lined with only one road, Holland said, where Iraqis loyal to Hussein would station themselves to notify them of any approaching forces.

Holland recalled that M.A.M. led the force to Saddam's hiding place, which they reached at 8:30 PM, describing how the squadron uncovered and unplugged the hole and saw it was lined with bricks like someone was hiding in it. They threw a grenade into it and heard an Arabic voice gradually growing louder.

After that, the squad that used the lights of its searchlight weapons made sure that Saddam was hiding in this place. Soldiers then attempted to use a dog, but, according to Holland, the animal was too scared to enter.

'So, finally, once he pulls the dogs back, we start hearing somebody talk in Arabic, and the interpreter starts talking back,' Holland continues.

"Then hands come out of the hole and a big bushy head of hair, and then we grab him and jerk him out — and it [was] like, 'Well, that's him,'" Holland said.

Holland recalled one of his squad members who helped pull out the deposed Iraqi president saying, "Holy cow, it's him," in shock.

He said that Saddam was armed with a Glock 18, so another Delta Force member punched him in the mouth to get the gun away.

He then said he was the president of Iraq and he was ready to negotiate, according to Holland. "He said that in English." They told him that President Bush sent his regards.

Holland then described how they transported the leader by helicopter to a military base in Tikrit and eventually to Baghdad to be imprisoned by the new government.

Holland confirmed that he went down to the room where Saddam was hiding, using the light on his gun, but then went back out to ask for another light to improve visibility.

According to the informants, Saddam spent most of his time outside, specifically on the farm near his hideout, and two private guards were in charge of cooking.

Holland explained that after realizing he would not be killed, Saddam gave off the impression that he was back in charge, noting that he was restrained and one held him by the beard.

"'Another guy had him by the back of the head and shook his head back and forth to make him quit touching us."

According to Holland, General Ricardo Sanchez concluded after he visited Saddam in his prison that the latter was cooperating, willing to talk, and accepting his fate.

Saddam was tried and convicted by an Iraqi court of crimes against humanity and was sentenced to death by hanging and executed on Dec. 30, 2006.



Israel Plans to Capture All of Gaza under New Plan, Officials Say

 An Israeli army tank maneuvers in the Gaza Strip, is seen from southern Israel, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP)
An Israeli army tank maneuvers in the Gaza Strip, is seen from southern Israel, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP)
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Israel Plans to Capture All of Gaza under New Plan, Officials Say

 An Israeli army tank maneuvers in the Gaza Strip, is seen from southern Israel, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP)
An Israeli army tank maneuvers in the Gaza Strip, is seen from southern Israel, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP)

Israel approved plans Monday to capture the entire Gaza Strip and to stay in the Palestinian territory for an unspecified amount of time, two Israeli officials said, a move that, if implemented, would vastly expand Israel's operations there and likely draw fierce international opposition.

Israeli Cabinet ministers approved the plan in an early morning vote, hours after the Israeli military chief said the army was calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers.

The new plan, which the officials said was meant to help Israel achieve its war aims of defeating Hamas and freeing hostages held in Gaza, also calls for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to move to Gaza's south. That would likely amount to their forcible displacement and exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis.

A third person, a defense official, said the new plan would not begin until after US President Donald Trump wraps up his expected visit to the Middle East this month, allowing for the possibility that Israel might agree to a ceasefire in the meantime. All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing military plans.

Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 after a decades-long occupation and then imposed a blockade on the territory along with Egypt. Capturing and potentially occupying the territory again for an indefinite period would not only further dash hopes for Palestinian statehood, it would embed Israel inside a population that is deeply hostile to it and raise questions about how Israel plans to govern the territory, especially at a time when it is considering how to implement Trump’s vision to take over Gaza.

Since Israel ended a ceasefire with the Hamas group in mid-March, Israel has unleashed fierce strikes on the territory that have killed hundreds. It has captured swaths of territory and now controls roughly 50% of Gaza. Before the truce ended, Israel halted all humanitarian aid into the territory, including food, fuel and water, setting off what is believed to the be the worst humanitarian crisis in nearly 19 months of war.

The war began when Hamas-led fighters attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages. Israel says 59 captives remain in Gaza, although about 35 are believed to be dead.

Israel’s offensive has displaced more than 90% of Gaza’s population and, Palestinian health officials say, killed more than 52,000 people there, many of them women and children. The officials do not distinguish between combatants and civilians in their count.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said Monday that the bodies of 32 people killed by Israeli strikes have been brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours.

Israel is trying to ratchet up pressure on Hamas

The Israeli officials said the plan included the "capturing of the strip and the holding of territories."

The plan would also seek to prevent Hamas from distributing humanitarian aid, a role that Israel says strengthens the group's rule in Gaza. It also accuses Hamas of keeping the aid for itself, without providing evidence. Aid workers deny there is a significant diversion of aid to militants, saying the UN strictly monitors distribution.

The officials said Israel was in touch with several countries about Trump's plan to take over Gaza and relocate its population, under what Israel has termed "voluntary emigration." That proposal has drawn widespread condemnation, including from Israel's allies in Europe, and rights groups have warned it could be a war crime under international law.

Hamas officials did not return calls and messages seeking comment on the plans.

For weeks, Israel has been trying to ratchet up pressure on Hamas to get the group to agree to its terms in ceasefire negotiations. But the measures do not appear to have moved Hamas away from its negotiating positions.

The previous ceasefire was meant to lead the sides to negotiate an end to the war, but that has remained elusive. Israel says it won’t agree to end the war until Hamas' governing and military capabilities are dismantled. Hamas, meanwhile, has sought an agreement that winds down the war without agreeing to disarm.

Israel's expansion announcement angered families of hostages who fear that any extension of the conflict endangers their loved ones. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which supports families, urged Israel's decision-makers to prioritize the hostages and secure a deal quickly.

At a Knesset committee meeting Monday, Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is being held hostage, called on soldiers "not to report for reserve duty for moral and ethical reasons."

Some reservists have indicated they will refuse to serve in a war they increasingly view as politically motivated.

Israel wants to prevent Hamas from handling aid

The defense official said the plan would "separate" Hamas from the aid by using private firms and by using specified areas secured by the Israeli military. The official added that Palestinians would be screened to prevent Hamas from accessing the aid.

According to a memo circulated among aid groups and seen by The Associated Press, Israel told the United Nations that it will use private security companies to control aid distribution in Gaza. The UN, in a statement Sunday, said it would not participate in the plan as presented, saying it violates its core principles.

The memo summarized a meeting between the Israeli defense body in charge of coordinating aid to Gaza, called COGAT, and the UN It was written by a group briefed on the meeting and sent Sunday to aid organizations.

According to the memo, under COGAT’s plan, all aid will enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, on approximately 60 trucks daily, and be distributed directly to people. Some 500 trucks entered Gaza every day before the war.

The memo said that facial-recognition technology will be used to identify Palestinians at logistics hubs and text message alerts will notify people in the area that they can collect aid.

COGAT did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The UN accuses Israel of wanting to control aid as a ‘pressure tactic’

After Israel said it was going to assert more control over aid distribution in Gaza, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs sent an email to aid groups, urging them to "collectively hold the line" and reject any "draconian restrictions on humanitarian work."

The email, which OCHA sent Monday to aid groups and was shared with the AP, further stated that there are mechanisms in place to ensure aid is not diverted.

Earlier, OCHA said in a statement that the plan would leave large parts of the population, including the most vulnerable, without supplies. It said the plan "appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic – as part of a military strategy."

Aid groups have said they are opposed to using any armed or uniformed personnel to distribute aid that could potentially intimidate Palestinians or put them at risk, and they fiercely criticized the new plan.

Israeli officials "want to manipulate and militarize all aid to civilians, forcing us to deliver supplies through hubs designed by the Israeli military, once the government agrees to reopen crossings," Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, posted on X, saying the group would not participate.

Hamas decried Israel’s efforts to control distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza as a violation of international law.

In a statement Monday, the group said the effort is "an extension of the starvation policy" adopted by the Israeli government in Gaza.

Earlier this month, the AP obtained notes summarizing various Israeli proposals on aid distribution and aid groups’ concerns about them. In those documents, the groups expressed fears that Palestinians would be required to retrieve aid from a small number of sites, forcing families to move to get assistance and putting their safety at risk if large crowds gathered at the sites.