A crew of American military engineers began an intensive effort Tuesday to excavate the site of a bombing on April 7 that US military officials still believe may have killed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, according to the New York Times.
The surprise search operation for Saddam’s remains seemed to be thus far the largest American effort to discover whether Saddam was killed in the raid, the paper said in its Wednesday edition.
US Vice President Dick Cheney said in a speech in May that the administration still believed that Hussein was killed in the raid. "I think we did get Saddam Hussein," Cheney said. "He was seen being dug out of the rubble and wasn't able to breathe."
American military officials, for their part, said their goal was to search the rubble for human remains and to conduct DNA tests on any that are discovered. "They have some specialized equipment," Capt. D. J. Gibb, a military engineer, said. "It will take a long time."
Gibb added that the excavation would be carried out 24 hours a day and could last up to a period of two weeks. Sorting and testing the rubble could take far longer.
The excavation focuses on a building in the Mansur district where an informant reported to American officials that Hussein was meeting with his two sons and senior officials. Nearly an hour after the tip was received, the building was pulverized by four bunker-busting, 2,000-pound bombs. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
