Sunday, 14 December 2003

BREAKING NEWS [updated]: Saddam Hussein has been captured. The CPA is holding a press conference as I type, confirming the details and showing a video of Saddam undergoing a medical examination; Saddam was found in a basement in a Tikrit farmhouse, hidden in a "spider hole" dug beneath the basement and equipped with its own ventilation system; he had grown a long salt-and-pepper beard, and looks like hell. Members of the Fourth Infrantry and Task Force 121 acted on specific local intelligence; Saddam surrendered without a fight, and apparently is being talkative and cooperative.

Paul Bremer's first words at the press conference: "Ladies and gentlemen… we got him." The Iraqi press corps gave Bremer a standing ovation, and went nuts when they showed Saddam on video. Iraqis are dancing in the streets in Baghdad, Mosul and other cities.

This is unquestionably the best news we've had in Iraq for a long time. Capturing Saddam alive is the ultimate intelligence bonanza, and may well break the back of the Baathist insurgency; it might even finally answer all those unresolved questions about if, how and where Saddam's WMD program existed. If the Coalition can take advantage of this opportunity to roll up the rest of the resistance and get the rest of Saddam's allies into custody, it could mark a major, major turning point in the effort to stabilize Iraq.

Three cheers for the troops!

- Posted by Scott Forbes at 12:48 pm. comments.