Hot on the trail of Hussein

"Now, he has less of an apparatus around him," says Capt. Brian Carter, an intelligence officer with the 101st Airborne Division.

Earlier searching had targeted remote villages along the Syrian border, where officials believed Hussein might seek refuge with tribal leaders in an area where there are fewer Iraqi police and US forces, according to military officials.

Mosul, an ethnically diverse city 70 miles from Syria, has long been home to Hussein loyalists including many former high-ranking officers in the Iraqi Army.

Perhaps more important, Mosul and its surrounding areas saw little fighting during the war and have been relatively calm since then - meaning fewer raids and house-to-house searches by US troops.

"It would be logical to be in Mosul, because we don't have as adversarial a relationship with the local population and there are less forced entries," says Capt. Brian Carter.

Other parts of Iraq would pose greater risks for the fugitive dictator, officials say.

For example, the predominantly Shiite south, where the population suffered horrific abuses under the Hussein regime, would be an unlikely refuge.

Hussein is believed to be carrying large sums of money in order to buy safety for himself.

But US officials say they believe the $25 million dollar reward could also override the loyalties of people associated with the former Iraqi leader.

"We're sure that if he isn't in this area right now, he has been recently," says Capt. Mike D'Annunzio, command judge advocate for the 1st Brigade combat team of the 4th Infantry Division.

"This is his base of power," says Captain D'Annunzio, "and where all his cronies live. It's just a matter of catching up with him. It's getting harder for him to hide. The people who were hiding him are showing up in our detention."

Following is a table of US, British, and Iraqi casualties in the Iraq war and its aftermath as announced by US, British, and Iraqi authorities or independently confirmed by Reuters correspondents.

The figures in brackets refer to casualties after May 1, when President Bush declared hostilities over.

US AND BRITISH TROOPS KILLED:

COMBAT/ATTACKS

United States 163 [49]

Britain 14 [6]

NONCOMBAT

United States 80 [58]

Britain 29 [4]

IRAQIS KILLED:

MILITARY 2,320#

CIVILIANS Between 6,076 and 7,787*

# - US military estimates relating only to fighting in or near Baghdad. No other figures available.

* - Figure compiled on website www.iraqbodycount.net, run by academics and peace activists, based on incidents reported by at least two media sources.

NOTE: NONCOMBAT is defined as accidents, US or British fire killing or wounding their own troops, and other incidents unrelated to fighting.

- Reuters

Page: 1 | 2