A former US military translator reveals the details of Saddam Hussein’s arrest
An Iraqi translator who cooperated with the Americans reveals that the American army used a kind of sleeping powder, during the arrest of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and the theft of a large part of his property.
According to him, during the process of arresting Hussein, he was with the American military. He noted that the US authorities pledged to provide several million dollars as a reward for providing information on Saddam’s whereabouts.
“Eight months after I started my work, they received information, of course, completely secret, about which no one knew about the place where Saddam Hussein was hiding in the Al-Dour area of Salah al-Din Governorate. This place was located in Mazra’a, a few meters from the Tigris River. , at a distance of 50 meters or even closer, from the crossing area.
According to him, a relative of his guards revealed Saddam’s whereabouts, but this account was later refuted as the guard who was delivering food to the president.
A US special forces unit was sent to the site, at the same time as the landing force. He did not allow the interpreter himself to approach because he was not wearing a gas mask.
The man said, “Many people were taken out of there. After they were taken out, I asked who they were…My officer said – This is President Saddam Hussein and the special forces that were sent to arrest him, we are even forbidden to approach him.”
He explained that a gas mask was needed, as anesthetic gas was sprayed at the site of the operation.
The translator was only able to see the room after Hussain was evacuated by helicopter. It was a room 3.5 meters wide and about 4 meters long, with two beds. There were also two pairs of medical shoes, expensive clothing, perfume and personal items including the president’s wristwatch, several photos of his family, a blank tape recorder, audio recordings, and Saddam Hussein’s personal pistol.
The translator added: Most of Saddam Hussein’s personal belongings – shoes, watches, clothes and even food – were stolen. “Some of the military took it as a souvenir.”
December 30 marks the fifteenth anniversary of Saddam Hussein’s execution following the US invasion of Iraq.
