Dive into the gripping story of Saddam Hussein's dramatic fall—from hiding in a spider hole to his infamous trial and execution. Was it justice or revenge? See how Iraq changed forever, and what his legacy really means today. Don't miss out on this wild ride through history! Subscribe for more epic stories and comment below: What shocked you most in Saddam's final days? #history #Iraq #war #politics #news
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@noelpolotv
0:00 - Saddam's Fall and Disappearance
0:50 - Operation Red Dawn and Saddam's Capture
2:14 - Imprisonment and Interrogation
4:16 - Transfer to Iraqi Custody and Trial Begins
5:04 - Dujail Massacre Trial and Verdict
8:44 - Appeal, Death Sentence, and Execution Plans
10:40 - Execution Night and International Reaction
15:06 - Aftermath and Iraq's Continued Struggle
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@noelpolotv
0:00 - Saddam's Fall and Disappearance
0:50 - Operation Red Dawn and Saddam's Capture
2:14 - Imprisonment and Interrogation
4:16 - Transfer to Iraqi Custody and Trial Begins
5:04 - Dujail Massacre Trial and Verdict
8:44 - Appeal, Death Sentence, and Execution Plans
10:40 - Execution Night and International Reaction
15:06 - Aftermath and Iraq's Continued Struggle
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Saddam Hussein's time in power was filled with wars, chemical attacks, and brutal punishments.
00:05But after many years of dictatorship, everything changed when the United States invaded Iraq
00:10in 2003.
00:12After the fall of Baghdad on April 9, 2003, Saddam Hussein suddenly disappeared.
00:18He evaded capture and went into hiding in central Iraq.
00:21For almost eight months, he kept moving from place to place, staying in different kinds
00:26of safe houses and with people who remained loyal to him.
00:29He often hid near Tikrit, his hometown located in the province of Salah Salah al-Din.
00:34The US military, along with CIA agents and Iraqi informants, did not stop searching for him.
00:41Many people close to him were arrested and investigated, and each of them provided pieces of information
00:47that brought them closer to Saddam.
00:50US forces believed that he was hiding in a small area near the Tigris River, so they focused
00:53their search on the towns of Adwar, Marat, and Tikrit.
00:55But before we start that, if you're new to our channel, please don't forget to subscribe
00:58so you won't miss any updates.
00:59Stay updated with videos like this.
01:11On December 13, 2003, US forces launched a special operation called Operation Red Dawn,
01:18which was named after an American war movie from 1984.
01:22Two locations were targeted simultaneously in the mission, which were named Wolverine 1 and
01:27Wolverine 2.
01:28These were farmhouses near Adwar, about 15 kilometers south of Tikrit, in an area called Tigrit.
01:33More than 600 soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division and Task Force 121, an elite unit composed
01:39of special operations teams, participated in the raid.
01:42They used helicopters, armored vehicles, and information from local sources, and in the
01:48end, it was a former bodyguard of Saddam who provided the exact location they had been
01:52waiting for.
01:53When the troops arrived at a small compound with high walls, they discovered a hole dug into
01:59the ground, hidden under piles of bricks and soil.
02:02It was about 6 to 8 feet deep, just enough for a person to lie down inside.
02:08This hidden burrow would later become famous around the world as what came to be called
02:12the Spider Hole.
02:13Inside the hole, that's where they found Saddam Hussein.
02:17He was thin and obviously weak.
02:19His hair was messy and his beard was long and gray.
02:23He was carrying a flashlight, a pistol, and a sack.
02:26There was almost $750,000 in cash.
02:28There were also two AK-47s near him, but he didn't use them.
02:33He didn't try to fight or escape and he was immediately pulled out, tied up, and taken
02:38into custody.
02:39After his capture, Saddam was transferred to Camp Cropper, a US military prison near Baghdad
02:46International Airport.
02:47This is a high security facility for important prisoners.
02:51He was given the code name High Value Detainee No. 1 and was placed in a very small cell.
02:56There was only one main piece of furniture, a metal bed with a thin mattress, a small sink,
03:02a toilet, and a light that was never turned off.
03:05The light was on 24 hours a day so he could be constantly monitored.
03:09There were cameras and guards always watching.
03:13And he was not allowed to talk to other prisoners.
03:16He spent most of his time alone and was only allowed out into a small yard for one hour each
03:21day to walk.
03:22He was also allowed to have a few Arabic books, including the Quran, which he often read.
03:27He wrote many letters and records and some of these were sent to his daughters who lived
03:33in Jordan.
03:34He was also frequently interrogated by American officials and intelligence officers.
03:38And one of them was FBI agent George Pirro, who interviewed him for several months in 2004.
03:44According to Pirro, Saddam was calm and very strategic.
03:48He did not show any remorse or fear.
03:50And he believed that, in the end, history would regard him as a great leader and not
03:55as a criminal.
03:57From time to time, he also saw his lawyers from Iraq and other countries.
04:02He still continued to call himself the President of Iraq and never admitted that he did anything
04:07wrong.
04:08For him, he was only defending his country against its enemies.
04:12And even though he was imprisoned, he still acted as if he was in power.
04:16During this time, Iraq was going through a period of great change.
04:20The old Ba'ath party was gone and a new government was starting to be built with the help of
04:25the United States.
04:26On June 28, 2004, the U.S. formally handed over legal custody of Saddam to the Iraqi interim
04:32government led by Prime Minister Iyad Alawi.
04:36This means that Iraq's new legal system was now handling Saddam's case.
04:41However, there is a condition attached to this.
04:44Even though he is now under Iraqi law, Saddam will still remain in U.S. custody.
04:49After almost two years in prison, the trial of Saddam Hussein has finally begun.
04:55The court was called the Iraqi Special Tribunal, which was created to try the crimes committed
05:00by Saddam and the high-ranking officials of his regime.
05:04The trial formally began on October 19, 2005 inside the Green Zone in Baghdad, an area heavily
05:11guarded by U.S. and Iraqi forces.
05:13The first trial's main case focused on what happened in Dujail.
05:18Dujail is a small town of Shia Muslims, about 60 kilometers north of Baghdad.
05:24That year, Saddam was visiting the area and while he was there, some members of a Shia group
05:29tried to assassinate him.
05:31They attacked Saddam's convoy, but he survived, and because of this, the president became
05:36angry, and in retaliation, he ordered a brutal crackdown.
05:40The security forces led by Barzan Ibrahim al-Takriti, Saddam's brother and then head of Iraqi intelligence,
05:48arrested hundreds of residents.
05:50Many of them were young men or elderly people who were not involved, and they were accused
05:55of being part of the assassination plot even without evidence.
05:58From those arrested, 148 men and boys were sentenced to death.
06:03Most of them were executed in the following years, and many were brought to Abu Ghraib prison,
06:09where they were tortured or simply disappeared.
06:12Their houses and farms were also destroyed, and the entire town was punished.
06:17And because of this, the former president, Saddam Hussein, was charged with crimes against humanity
06:22because of what happened. This means he was accused of ordering widespread killings and
06:27torture of civilians. He was tried along with seven other officials, including Barzan al-Takriti,
06:33Tassa Yassin Ramadan, his former vice president, and several local leaders of the Ba'ath party
06:39from Dujjal. These events are truly significant in Iraq. For the first time in the country's
06:45modern history, a former leader is being held accountable in court. The trials are being broadcast
06:50on television and millions of Iraqis are watching live. They saw Saddam dressed in a suit, sitting
06:57inside a wooden box surrounded by guards. But the former president did not act like an ordinary
07:03defendant. He often shouted, challenged the judges, and delivered heated speeches. He refused to
07:09recognize the judges as legitimate, even calling them traitors. He insisted that the court was illegal
07:15because it was established while Iraq was still under US occupation. He repeatedly said that he was still
07:21the president of Iraq and that the new government had no authority over him. Sometimes he would even
07:27stand up and wave at the cameras, argue with the prosecutors, and say that he had the right
07:33to punish anyone who tried to kill him. According to him, he was only defending Iraq against terrorists,
07:40and his confidence was obvious even though he was no longer in power. The judges also had a hard time,
07:46and many of them received death threats, with some being forced to resign. Another of the earlier
07:52presiding judges, Rizgard Mohamed Amin, resigned in early 2006 due to intense pressure. He was replaced by
08:00Ralph Abdurrahman, who was stricter and tried to control the courtroom. Despite the shouting and drama,
08:06the trials really continued. Witnesses came forward and survivors from Dujel recounted their experiences.
08:13The torture, the killings, and the disappearance of their families. Documents bearing Saddam's own
08:19signature authorizing the killings were also presented in court. After about a year and a half,
08:24the verdict was finally announced on November 5, 2006. The former president was found guilty of
08:30ordering the killings in due jail, and because of these events, he was sentenced to death. Despite
08:36what happened, he even raised his fist and said that he was not afraid to die. He still thinks he's
08:43Iraq's true leader. After the verdict was announced, Saddam's legal team immediately filed an appeal,
08:48hoping that the verdict would be overturned or at least delayed. This appeal was brought to the Iraqi
08:54Appeals Court, which once again reviewed the entire trial and all the evidence.
08:58The court spent several weeks reviewing everything. However, on December 26, 2006,
09:04the Iraqi Appeals Court announced their final decision. The death sentence for Saddam Hussein
09:09was confirmed and signed. The court said he was guilty of crimes against humanity and that the
09:13sentence should be carried out immediately. There would be no further delays. The decision was final.
09:19According to Iraqi law, once the Appeals Court approves the death sentence, it must be carried out
09:24within 30 days. However, the Iraqi government really did not want to wait. Prime Minister Nouri
09:31al-Maliki clarified that as the head of the majority government, he would immediately carry out
09:36Saddam's death sentence. At that time, the Islamic holiday Eid al-Adha was approaching, a major religious
09:42celebration for Muslims. It usually involves prayers, charity, and time spent with family. In 2006,
09:50Eid al-Adha was expected to begin on either December 1 or January 1, depending on the sighting of the
09:55moon.
09:56The government of Iraq believes that carrying out the death penalty before the holiday will send a
10:01clear message. It will also provide closure to the victims of Saddam's regime and show that the new
10:07state of Iraq has power and control. So after the court's decision, plans for the execution were
10:12quickly set in motion. Iraqi officials, together with the US military who still had custody of Saddam,
10:19worked together to arrange the transfer and carry out the execution. The legal documents were signed and
10:25security was tightened in critical areas, including the prison and the execution site. All preparations had
10:31to be done carefully and the person who would carry out the execution was chosen. The judges and witnesses
10:37were contacted and Saddam was informed that his appeal had failed, and it was here that he learned his
10:42death was near. On the night of December 29, while still at Camp Camcropper, a US military prison near Baghdad
10:49International Airport, he was told that his execution would take place the next morning and that this would
10:55be the last night of his life. The former president was 69 years old and after leading Iraq for almost
11:0124 years, he would be executed by hanging. That night, the former president remained calm but he became
11:08quiet. He no longer shouted or argued. According to those who saw him, he looked peaceful but he was
11:14accepting the end. And he really did not cry or beg for mercy. He spent his last hours in prayer,
11:21reading the Quran and writing letters. One of the letters was for his family where he was saying goodbye.
11:28He passed on his last will to one of his lawyers, requesting a simple Islamic burial in his hometown
11:34of Al-Wajah near Tikrit, where he was born. He requested to be buried next to his sons, Uday and
11:41Kusai,
11:42who were killed by US forces in 2003 during an encounter in Mosul. He had no final request for
11:48forgiveness and did not show any remorse for what he had done while he was in power.
11:53That night, the prison was very quiet. The American soldiers were on guard and the Iraqi officials
11:59began to prepare the final step, the transfer of Saddam for his execution. According to Iraqi law
12:05itself, the hanging must take place before sunrise. In the early morning hours of December 30, 2006,
12:12around 3 AM, the former president was officially transferred from US custody to the Iraqi government.
12:18This was a legal step, with a signed document proving the transfer, and after this,
12:24the Americans no longer had control over Saddam. The former president was brought from Camp Campcropper
12:29and was escorted under heavy security to the Iraqi military intelligence headquarters in the
12:35Qadamiya district of Baghdad. And this building was turned into an execution site after Saddam's
12:40government was removed from power. The building is surrounded by armed guards and outsiders are not
12:46allowed to come near. Inside, everything is ready. The wooden platform, the rope, and the noose.
12:52And many people are waiting for the execution. The Iraqi judges who worked on his trial are there.
12:58There are officials from the Ministry of Justice, and some religious clerics have also arrived.
13:04The executioners are already there, ready for their duty. Also inside the room are men who lost their
13:09families because of what Saddam did, especially those from Dujail. The former president is wearing
13:15a white shirt, a dark overcoat, and slippers with his hands tied behind his back. Before he disappeared,
13:21he was offered a black hood to cover his face, which is commonly used during executions. But the former
13:27president refused and said that he wanted to face death with his eyes open. At around 5.50 in the
13:34morning,
13:34the former president began to walk towards the execution site. There were 13 steps leading to
13:39the hanging platform, and he climbed them without any help. When he reached the top, the executioner
13:45placed the rope around his neck. While these things were happening, there were also some people in the
13:50room who began to shout. Some called out the name of Mostika al-Sadir, a Shia cleric whose father,
13:56Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadir, was killed by Saddam's forces in 1999. And there were also some who said bad
14:02things to Saddam. They did not fight back when Saddam shouted and told the people not to act like this.
14:08He reminded them that this was a legal moment of justice, not an opportunity for revenge.
14:13Then, he began to recite the Shahada, the Muslim declaration of faith. But before he could finish
14:19the second line of the prayer, the trapdoor beneath his feet suddenly opened. Exactly 6 o'clock in the
14:25morning, local time, the former president was executed. And after that, the doctors approached and
14:30declared that he was truly gone the moment his body fell. His body remained hanging for several
14:36minutes. And this is part of the standard procedure to ensure that he was truly gone.
14:41After this, Saddam's body was flown to al-Waja, and he was buried in a simple grave inside the mosque
14:47that he himself had built. On December 31, his family and tribal leaders visited the burial site.
14:53The Iraqi government allowed this to prevent further conflict. Just a few hours after the execution,
14:59a mobile phone video surfaced online showing people taunting Saddam in his final moments.
15:06Some were chanting political slogans while others were laughing.
15:10Many Iraqis, even those who hated Saddam, were shocked. They said the execution seemed like revenge,
15:16not justice. The United Nations and human rights groups also closely watched and criticized the manner
15:21of the execution. And according to them, it was unprofessional and damaged the legal process.
15:27People worldwide have different opinions. Many believe that it is only right for the former
15:32president to be executed because of the terrible things he did while in power.
15:36One of the most tragic examples is the Halabja gas attack in March 1988, where his forces used chemical
15:44weapons against the Kurdish town of Halabja. About 5,000 civilians were killed, including women and
15:50children, and thousands more were injured. This is one of the worst chemical attacks in history against
15:57civilians. Following this, there was the incident in Dujail in 1982, which became the main case for his
16:03trial. The former president also led Iraq in two devastating wars. The Iran-Iraq war from 1980 to
16:101988 claimed the lives of around 1 million people. In 1990, he invaded Kuwait, which started the Gulf War.
16:17This war led to international attacks on Iraq and left the country weakened and devastated.
16:23These wars, along with a brutal crackdown on anyone who opposed him, put the lives of many Iraqis in
16:30danger. That's why, for some, the death of the former president seems justified. They saw it as the
16:35final punishment for a man who caused so much pain and death. The families of the victims, especially the
16:41Kurdish and Shia Muslims who suffered the most in Iraq, said they have found closure. But not
16:47everyone really agreed. There are some who believe that the trial was rushed and not fair. Critics also
16:54said that this was more about revenge than true justice. They pointed out how Saddam was shouted at
16:59while being executed, and how the video of his death was leaked. This was done to stir public emotions.
17:05This did not look like a peaceful or respected legal process. According to some international
17:10lawyers and human rights groups, the trial did not meet fair standards. What happened after the
17:16former president was gone was even more alarming. Many believed that his removal would bring peace.
17:22However, Iraq became even more divided. The former president was a Sunni Muslim,
17:27and after he disappeared, the power of the Shia grew stronger. This caused severe sectarian strife
17:34between Sunnis and Shias that worsened over the years. Groups like Al-Qaeda in Iraq used the chaos to
17:41spread terrorism. Eventually, Al-Qaeda became the more dangerous group now known as ISIS.
17:46ISIS occupied large parts of Iraq and Syria from 2014 to 2017. This caused more war, death and
17:54destruction. That's why, even without the former president, Iraq did not become peaceful or united.
17:59The problems continued, and the country kept struggling with terrorism, weak leadership,
18:05and deep divisions. For some, he got what he deserved, but for others,
18:10his absence opened the door to even more suffering.
18:13The last one, I'm sorry.
18:19You
Comments