Hussein, “Seriously Wounded if Not Dead”

The survival of President Saddam Hussein of Iraq has risen as the imminent matter of concern as it has been clarified that the President’s hiding quarter has been attacked with cruise missiles and precision-guided bombs at the beginning of the Iraq War.

The U.S. press reported on the 21st that it has been known that President Hussein was said to be in his hiding quarters either with both of his sons or just one of them during the attack.

Quoting from a government official of the United States Intelligence Agency, the New York Times reported, “The attack has been made after receiving a report from an Iraqi informant that President Hussein and his two sons are in a private house built over an underground bunker in southern Baghdad” pointing out that whatever happened after the attack still remains a mystery.

Especially, the mystery has deepened with the report of the intelligence agencies monitoring Iraqi communications who have detected a significant decrease in intercepted conversations between the nation’s top leader and others in the government. The military officials stated that they possess evidence to prove the possibilities of the weakened power of President Hussein and the leadership with air raid attacks or interrupted communications between President Hussein and his commanders. Some speculated that Iraq’s leadership had gone down even deeper underground.

The officials of the U.S. Intelligence Agencies firmly stated that they have proof that President Hussein did not escape from his private house before the attack and they speculated the possibility of President Hussein as badly wounded if not dead.

However, the Iraqi Radio Broadcasting argued that the house attacked by the United States was indeed President Hussein’s family house but there have been no casualties.

The United States is closely analyzing the two appearances of President Hussein on television on the 20th and the 21st right after the official announcement of war by President George W. Bush. Upon the result of the analysis based on the face and voice of President Hussein broadcasted on the first day, it was concluded that it indeed was himself speaking but the United States did not eliminate the possibility of a prerecorded speech.

The officials stated that they weren’t surprised about the televised speech since they already had obtained information that President Hussein recorded a couple of speeches in the beginning of the week in advance, predicting the attack right after the expiration of the deadline given by the United States.

The Agencies are still watching communication and movement in the Iraqi government but it looks as though it is going to take a long time before everything gets unveiled.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld clarified on Friday that the United States is in the process of negotiating the option of surrender for the Iraqi military through both opened and closed channels.

There are a lot of bunkers within the city of Baghdad. It has been predicted that these bunkers are all connected to one another underground, with some even leading to residents’ houses.

President Hussein’s bunker is an underground fortress prepared over 10 meters deep down underground. The bunker’s ceiling is made of steel weighing 4,500 tons and the walls are made of 5-meter thick steel with intensified concrete, thus will stand firm even when a 2,000 kilogram of TNT explodes over it. Moreover, it is known that Baghdad has prepared food supplies which will last over 30 days in case of attack by conventional weapons.

maypole@donga.com