Photos of Saddam Hussein's Capture

Analysis

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This series of images began circulating via email in mid-January 2004, soon after an edited version of one of the photos (below), attributed to an unnamed soldier in the U.S. 4th Infantry Division, appeared on Military.com, a Website catering to American military personnel and veterans. According to news accounts, military experts deemed the photo authentic, though U.S. Central Command refused to confirm it and disavowed any official connection with the image. The BBC published the series on January 16.

The former dictator of Iraq was arrested by U.S. troops in an underground "spider hole" near his hometown of Tikrit on December 14, 2003 after seven months of hide-and-go-seek in the wake of his ouster. Though disheveled and disguised by a false beard at the time of his capture, Saddam's identity was quickly verified by scientific testing.

When compared to authorized photos of the raid and its aftermath, the pictures do appear to be genuine. There are apparently no regulations prohibiting U.S. soldiers from carrying personal cameras into battle, so many do, according to a CNN report. Other unofficial photographs of the Iraq conflict have circulated widely on the Internet.

Sources and further reading:

Saddam Captured Alive in Tikrit
Sydney Morning Herald, 14 December 2003

Anatomy of Saddam's Capture
ABC News, 14 December 2003

Slide Show: Saddam Hussein's Capture (Official Photos)
Newsday, 14 December 2003

Slide Show: Unauthorized Saddam Photos
BBC News, 16 January 2004

Secret Photo of a Cowering Dictator
Daily Telegraph (via Military.com), 8 January 2004

Website Depicts Saddam's Capture
Washington Times, 9 January 2004

Last updated: 04/05/04

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