US believes Saddam’s sons killed in firefight
The American military states it is 90% sure Saddam Hussein’s sons Uday and Qusay were killed earlier today in a firefight in the northern Iraqi town of Mosul.
A four-hour battle took place around the house of a local tribal leader, culminating in the destruction of the building and the deaths of four men inside.
Although it could take up to a week for DNA confirmation that the two men were killed, a number of witnesses are understood to have viewed the bodies and positively identified them as Saddam’s sons.
Adel Darwish, a journalist specialising in Iraqi affairs told Channel Four tonight that he had reservations over claims that Saddam’s sons were among the dead.
“Until we see DNA confirmation I would be sceptical because Saddam and his sons are not in the habit of being together at the same time”.
He added: ‘It could be that they are doubles. Saddam once spread a rumour about a military coup. He once spread a rumour about an assassination which turned out to be false.’
Uday Hussein, thought to be his father’s favourite son, has been described as a ruthless killer and serial rapist, with no woman in Iraq allowed to refuse his advances. Until the fall of the Ba’ath regime he controlled the state-run media of Iraq.
His younger brother Qusay, seen as a possible successor to his father, headed the elite Republican Guard and ran Iraq’s intelligence service.
