Updated: 10:12 AM EST
A Year After Saddam's Capture, Iraq's Rebels Fight On
Growing Anti-U.S. Force Derails Administration's Hope for Ending Insurgency
By Luke Baker, Reuters
AP
It was a year ago when Paul Bremer declared "We got him!" Now, there's a chance
the elections scheduled for Jan. 30 could be derailed by the insurgency in
Iraq.
BAGHDAD (Dec. 12) - Much has changed in the year since a haggard-looking Saddam
Hussein was pulled from a hole in the ground and taken into custody by jubilant
U.S. troops.
In some ways it has changed for the worse.
President Bush hailed the capture as a breakthrough at the time, saying he
expected his arch foe to be tried, convicted and put to death -- adding that
would be up to the Iraqi courts.
"In the history of Iraq, a dark and painful era is over," Bush declared in a
television address the day after the capture on Dec. 13. "A hopeful day has
arrived. All Iraqis can now come together and reject violence and build a new
Iraq."
But twice as many U.S. soldiers were killed by insurgents in the seven months
after Saddam's capture than in the seven months before, and thousands of Iraqis
have died. There are growing fears elections set for Jan. 30 could be derailed
by the mayhem.
And Bush's hoped-for trial of Saddam appears no nearer to happening, despite
repeated pledges from Iraqi officials.
It all looked rosier when Paul Bremer, then U.S. governor of Iraq, declared:
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we got him!"
It was believed Saddam's capture would put a dampener on the insurgency,
depriving it of a figurehead and financier.
"HUGE BLOW"
General John Abizaid, head of U.S. Central Command, said at the time Saddam's
detention had dealt the insurgency "a huge psychological blow" that would "pay
great benefits over time."
In the weeks that followed, evidence did seem to suggest the guerrillas may
have been set back. Attacks on U.S. forces dropped to around 17 a day from as
many as 50 before.
Commanders grew confident that they were making headway.
In January, Major General Ray Odierno, the commander of the 4th Infantry
Division, whose troops got credit for snatching the "Ace of Spades," declared
the insurgency to be "on its knees" and only a "sporadic threat."
"I believe within six months, I think you're going to see some normalcy," he
told the Pentagon press corps. The confidence was infectious.
"Systematically we have captured or killed the individuals directing the
insurgency," said Major General Charles Swannack, the commander of the 82nd
Airborne, in March.
"... The insurgency is pretty much in disarray, I think is the best way to
describe it."
Although wounded, Staff Sgt. Shannon Kay, of 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry
Regiment, fires on an enemy position after being attacked with a car bomb in
Mosul.
He was responsible for the volatile western region of Iraq, including the
cities of Fallujah and Ramadi. A month after he spoke, Fallujah fell into
guerrilla hands and was only wrested back following a U.S. offensive last
month. Fighting continues.
The insurgency has broadened and strengthened, attracting fresh recruits and
finding new ways of striking U.S. troops and their Iraqi allies.
TRYING TO TRY SADDAM
Even in the capital, hardly a day has gone by without a car bomb or guerrilla
attack. Some areas, including central Haifa Street, are insurgent strongholds.
Meanwhile, what has become of Saddam?
Iraqi officials said they thought he could be convicted and even executed by
July. Saddam did appear in court that month and was informed of the general
charges against him.
But since then little progress appears to have been made. The head of the
special tribunal set up to try him, Salem Chalabi, has been replaced.
Investigators are only beginning to sift through the evidence.
Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said in August he wanted proceedings sped up
and said trials against Saddam and his senior henchmen should begin by the end
of the year.
Officials at the special tribunal could not be reached for comment, but a U.S.
embassy official said he would be urging Iraqi authorities to prepare a
statement for the anniversary of Saddam's capture. It has been a long year.
12/12/04 06:54 ET
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