Hunt for Saddam heats up

A US Army military intelligence officer attached to the 10th Calvary, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, removes handcuffs from a man who was held briefly by soldiers as family members watch on Monday during a pre-dawn raid on a house in Tikrit, about 180 km north of Baghdad. American troops carried out a raid on three farms in Tikrit, the hometown of toppled leader Saddam Hussein, after receiving a tip from an Iraqi informant that the ex-president's new head of security was staying in one of them, Lieutenant Colonel Steve Russell of the Fourth Infantry Division, told Sky News. Photo: AFP

"Life is uncomfortable for these people. These guys are having a hard time just getting on. They are losing their freedom of action. One by one, they are going away," said Colonel Jim Hickey of the army's 4th Infantry Division (4ID).

But as the hunt for Saddam and his shadowy supporters heats up, civilians find themselves caught in the crossfire, raising the question of whether US forces have used excessive force as they defend themselves on the frontline of a guerrilla-style war. Hot on last week's slaying of Saddam's sons, Uday and Qusay, a US assault on a home in Baghdad's wealthy Mansur district, based on a tip the fallen dictator was hiding with relatives, ended with five dead, witnesses said.

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The coalition meanwhile quietly plods ahead with its rebuilding efforts, as the US-vetted 25-member Governing Council convened Monday to start the process of selecting cabinet ministers and a president.

The meeting, which opened at 10:25 am (0625 GMT), was chaired by acting council head Mohammed Bahr al-Ulum.

Back in Tikrit, the 4ID kept up its pressure, cutting off Saddam's network of supporters who could offer him a safe house, but Hickey believed there were still a few places the toppled strongman could still go.

"There are certain families and tribes he could fall back on," Hickey said.

"He could fall back on Al-Awja in a heartbeat," the commander added, referring to the nearby village where Saddam was born.

Over the weekend, the 4ID arrested 13 bodyguards of Saddam, in testament to the flood of tips coming in, according to the military, since Uday and Qusay were gunned down.

"These guys are afraid of us. They can't accept the attrition," Hickey said.

"They are losing one or two a day. They are slowly being run down."

US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Richard Myers, touring the country, also said Sunday Iraqis were coming forward with greater information.

"What I found today... there's been a big spike in Iraqis coming forward, about weapons caches and where people are," said Myers, who arrived from Kuwait and toured Tikrit.

"The point is about Saddam Hussein is he is so busy surviving, he is having no impact, no impact on the security situation here. He is trying so hard to save his own skin," said Myers.

Despite the clear successes, events have taken an ugly turn on the ground as the constant US raids appear to alienate Iraqis.

In the latest such incident, US forces stormed a house late Sunday in Baghdad's Mansur neighborhood, said the home's owner, himself a relative of the former president.

Witnesses said five people were killed as US troops raided the house, but a US soldier at the site said they were only returning fire. It was not immediately possible to confirm the toll.

July has been the bloodiest month for US troops since Washington declared an end to hostilities three months ago, with fatalities accounting more than half the 49 soldiers killed since May 1.

Fourteen soldiers were killed last week alone -- including three in an ambush at a children's hospital at Baqubah northeast of Baghdad -- making it the worst seven days since US troops seized Baghdad on April 9.

Witnesses said assailants fired a rocket-propelled grenade late Sunday at a US tank in Baqubah, possibly causing casualties. There was no US confirmation.