Error over Saddam deputy

[seemslikeadream]

Rory McCarthy in Baghdad
Monday September 6, 2004
The Guardian

Officials from Iraq's new government were left embarrassed last night after mistakenly announcing the capture of Saddam Hussein's deputy, the most senior figure from the regime still on the run.
A defence ministry spokesman announced that US troops and Iraqi National Guard forces had arrested Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri in a violent gunbattle outside the central city of Tikrit.

Wael Abdul-Latif, a minister of state in the new government, told Reuters it was 75 to 90% certain that the man was Mr al-Douri, 62.

Mr Abdul-Latif said a large crowd of gunmen loyal to Mr al-Douri tried to intervene to stop the arrest but at least 70 of them were killed and another 80 captured in the operation. The arrest happened as the suspect attended a medical clinic close to Mr al-Douri's home village of Ad Dawr.

Ibrahim Janabi, a senior information official in the government and the deputy in the party of the prime minister, Iyad Allawi, had also insisted their news was accurate. However, within hours, the US-led coalition denied they had him in their custody. Although it appears there was an operation by US forces around Tikrit on Saturday it is now unclear exactly who has been arrested.

more
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1298022,00.html

[xultar]

1. Ooooops! n/t

[da_chimperor]

2. You've got to be kidding

I'd had to put up with CNN bombarding me about him being captured ALL day, and now they don't even have the bastard?

[Ripley]

3. Too late!

Even my local news shouted with glee on the evening news:

"Victory in Iraq! (title of graphic too) Saddam's number 1 guy is caught! He directed the insurgents!"

Everyone now thinks the war is really over. This time it really is done. It's over. The war is in the past.

:eyes:

Oops, forgot to add: WE WON!

[Snellius]

4. I can see the headlines on Nov. 1: "Bin Laden Captured"

Retracted on Nov. 3, page 7: "Capture of Al Qaida chief in doubt".

[still_one]

5. don't forget we got Saddam 5 times

and killed chemical ali about 7 times before he was caught

[leesa]

6. Oh My. What a predictable surprise.

[kodi]

7. Goldstein captured! Long Live Big Brother!

ya' think?

[Wind Dancer]

10. LOL!

You just can't make this stuff up!

[progressivebydesign]

8. Yahoo still has it up....

Wouldn't you know that it would be the Guardian that would tell the truth??

[UpInArms]

9. I guess those 70 dead people

are just collateral damage?

Will they release the 80 arrested?

Another tragic mistake.

:(

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Moderator]

12. Dupe... locking

Please continue discussion within the original LBN thread on this topic, which can be found here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x803473

As there are so many threads on this topic, it would be helpful if you could post your link to the Guardian story within the original thread, above.

Thanks, seemslikeadream!

DU Moderator