A senior Iraqi official who was involved in the events leading to Saddam's death was quoted as saying, "The Americans wanted to delay the execution by 15 days because they weren't keen on having him executed straight away. But during the day [before the execution] the prime minister's office provided all the documents they asked for and the Americans changed their minds when they saw the prime minister was very insistent. Then it was just a case of finalizing the details."
[8] U.S. military spokesman
Maj. Gen. William Caldwell told journalists in Baghdad that after "physical control" of Saddam was given to the Iraqi government, "the
multinational force had absolutely no direct involvement with [the execution] whatsoever."
[9] There were no U.S. representatives present in the
execution room.
[10][11]
Reports circulated that Saddam's behavior was "submissive" and that he was carrying the
Qur'an he had been keeping with him throughout his trial before his
execution. Al-Rubiae, who was a witness to Saddam's execution, described Saddam as repeatedly shouting "down with the invaders."
[12] Al-Rubaie reportedly asked Saddam if he had any remorse or fear, to which Saddam replied:
"No, I am a militant and I have no fear for myself. I have spent my life in
jihad and fighting aggression. Anyone who takes this route should not be afraid."
[13] Sami al-Askari, a witness to the execution, said, "Before the rope was put around his neck, Saddam shouted, '
Allahu Akbar. The
Muslim Ummah will be victorious and
Palestine is Arab!'"
[14] Saddam also stressed that the Iraqis should fight the American invaders.
[15] After the rope was secured, guards shouted various rebukes including "Muqtada! Muqtada! Muqtada!" in reference to
Muqtada al-Sadr; Saddam repeated the name mockingly and rebuked the shouts stating, "Do you consider this bravery?"
[13][16][17][18][19] A
Shi'a version of an Islamic prayer was also recited by some of those present in the room, an apparent sectarian insult against the
Sunni Saddam.
[20] One observer told Saddam:
"Go to hell!"
Saddam replied,
"The hell that is Iraq?"
[21]Another man asked for quiet, saying,
"Please, stop. The man is facing an execution."
Saddam began to recite the
Shahada again. As he neared the end of his second recitation, the platform dropped.
[19][22] According to
The New York Times, the executioners "cheer their Shi'ite heroes so persistently that one observer [in the execution chambers] makes a remark about how the effort to rein in militias does not seem to be going well."
[23] During the drop there was an audible crack indicating that his neck was broken.
[24] After Saddam was suspended for a few minutes, the doctor present listened with a
stethoscope for a heartbeat. After he detected none, the rope was cut, and his body was placed in a coffin.
[3]
According to Talal Misrab, the head guard at Saddam's tomb and who also helped in the burial, Saddam was stabbed six times after he was executed. The head of Saddam's tribe, Sheikh Hasan al-Neda, denies this claim. Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Iraq's security advisor, stated, "I oversaw the whole process from A-Z and Saddam Hussein's body was not, not stabbed or mutilated, and he was not humiliated before execution."
[25]
Saddam's body was buried in his birthplace of
Al-Awja in Tikrit, Iraq, near family members, including his two sons
Uday and
Qusay Hussein, on December 31, 2006 at 04:00 local time (01:00
GMT).
[26][27][28] His body was transported to Tikrit by a U.S. military helicopter. Saddam was handed over from Iraqi Government possession to
Sheikh Ali al-Nida, the late head of the Albu Nasir tribe and governor of
Salaheddin, to be buried. He was buried about three kilometers (2 mi) from his two sons in the same cemetery. Saddam's eldest daughter
Raghad Hussein, under asylum in Jordan, had asked that "his body be buried in Yemen temporarily until Iraq is liberated and it can be reburied in Iraq", a family spokesperson said by telephone.
[29] The family also said his body might be buried in
Ramadi, citing safety concerns, though there are no plans to do this.
[26]