| THE man who led US troops to Saddam Hussein's sons Uday and Qusay was last night paid a $US30 million ($46 million) reward for his act of betrayal.
The informant earned his reward by going to a US command post and handing over film of the duo leaving a car and entering the hideout - where they were shot dead 24 hours later.
The six-hour raid by 200 US troops on a heavily defended villa in Mosul, 390km northwest of Baghdad, also killed Qusay's 14-year-old son Mustafa and a bodyguard, Abdul Samad.
Last night the informant was identified as a trusted ally of the brothers, who owned the palatial house where they were hiding.
Relatives of businessman Nawaf al-Zeidane said he was the "traitor" who turned them over to the Americans.
Zeidane had disappeared yesterday and was seen, hours before the attack, with his son Shahlan in US vehicles.
While not confirming his identity, the head of US operations in Iraq, Paul Bremer, paid the man the bounty for the sons - the second and third most wanted men in Iraq.
"He is in US custody. We're protecting him," said Colonel Joe Anderson, of the 101 Airborne Division who, with special forces, staged the attack - America's most successful in Iraq.
Asked why the informer was being detained, he said: "People know who owns the house, so that's a factor."
But Saddam remains at large.
In an audio tape played on Arab television station al Arabiya last night, but recorded 48 hours before his sons were killed, he said the war against the coalition was not over and hailed the resistance of Iraqi fighters, urging them to continue attacking coalition troops.
Uday, 39, and Qusay, 37, who used torture and assassination to ensure the obedience of the Iraqi people, headed the US and allied forces wanted list behind their father. All three were wanted for war crimes.
Intelligence sources said the Hussein brothers arrived at the villa four weeks ago after a problem on their journey to or from Syria, 55km away.
A force of US soldiers went to the villa on Tuesday after receiving the tip and asked permission to search.
The occupants refused, and the patrol withdrew until 100 more soldiers arrived.
They then opened fire on the stone villa and took fierce return fire from inside.
As soldiers entered the home's ground floor they came under fire from four people holed up on the second floor.
The home's second floor had been prepared against attack with bulletproof glass, and US soldiers had to call in an Apache attack helicopter, which fired several missiles into the building.
There was celebration in Baghdad and across the world as the news filtered through.
Early today US President George W. Bush hailed the deaths as the clearest sign yet that "the former regime is gone and will not be coming back".
He called the sons "two of the regime's chief henchmen".
British Prime Minister Tony Blair called it a "great day".
Prime Minister John Howard said the deaths would bring a measure of stability to Iraq.
"I don't want to overstate that, but psychologically it's a huge step forward," said Mr Howard, in a sentiment echoed by leaders in Japan and New Zealand.
Source: Daily Telegraph | |
