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U.S. raids lead to arrests in hunt for Saddam
TIKRIT, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. forces have carried out at least 17 raids in northern Iraq in the past 24 hours as part of an operation aimed at killing or capturing Saddam Hussein, U.S. military officials said Monday. The raids -- centered around Saddam's ancestral homeland of Tikrit -- netted 80 people, including a local resistance leader and two former midlevel officials in the Iraqi government, officials said. The operations also were intended to seize weapons and money, according to military officials, and to block Saddam's access to safe houses, cash and Iraqis who may be willing to help the toppled Iraqi leader. "It's just a matter of time," 4th Infantry Division spokeswoman Maj. Josslyn Aberle told The Associated Press, referring to Saddam's capture. "He can't stay in one place very long." The U.S. civilian administrator for Iraq -- L. Paul Bremer -- has said U.S. troops are receiving frequent tips from Iraqis about where to find Saddam loyalists. Among the tipsters was the informant who claimed $30 million for turning in Saddam's sons, Uday and Qusay. The two were killed in a July 22 firefight with U.S. troops at a house in the northern city of Mosul. Also killed was a 14-year-old grandson of Saddam. "In the most famous case, someone told us where to find Uday and Qusay," Bremer said Sunday. "We are going to get Saddam, too," Bremer said. "The only question is who is going to get $25 million [reward money] and move to another country." Maj. Gen. Ray Odierno of the 4th Infantry Division said last week that several suspected members of Saddam's personal security detachment were captured at a house south of Tikrit. The operation Thursday resulted from a tip from an informant, Odierno said. During another raid Thursday, this time in Baghdad, Abdullah Abbus Khandush, an Iraqi scientist associated with Saddam's nuclear programs, surrendered to U.S. authorities, according to U.S. defense officials. They said he was cooperating with U.S. authorities. (Full story) Other developments• The U.S. Army announced Monday the activation of two medical teams to help determine what caused about 100 cases of pneumonia, including two fatal cases, among service members in the Persian Gulf since March 1. One team has been assigned to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where most of the patients have been treated, said Lyn Kukral, a spokeswoman for the Army surgeon general. A second team has been sent to Iraq, where most of the pneumonia cases occurred, Kukral said. (Full story) • On Sunday, the U.S. military closed the main road that joins Baghdad International Airport to the capital to investigate a car explosion that badly wounded an Iraqi driver. It was unclear what caused the blast, but military officials suggested the explosion may have been a landmine or an "improvised explosive device" that the Iraqi resistance could have intended for U.S. troops. CNN Baghdad Bureau Chief Jane Arraf and Correspondents Rym Brahimi, Nic Robertson, Barbara Starr and Harris Whitbeck contributed to this report. Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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