U.S. forces on Sunday raided the home of Prince Rabiah Muhammed al-Habib in an upscale west Baghdad neighborhood and killed at least five people, reports said.
The prince, one of Iraq's most influential tribal leaders, was not at his home when the raid occurred but told the AP he believed the Americans were searching for Saddam.
"I found the house was searched in a very rough way. It seems the Americans came thinking Saddam Hussein was inside my house," al-Habib said.
Earlier, American forces said that they missed catching Saddam Hussein's security chief and possibly the former president himself by a mere 24 hours.
Soldiers stormed three farms in Tikrit, Saddam's hometown, in simultaneous pre-dawn raids after getting a tip that Saddam's new security chief was staying at one of the farm houses, said Lt. Col. Steve Russell, who led the operation by the 1st Brigade 22nd Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry.
"We missed him by 24 hours," Russell said, according to AP, adding residents told soldiers that the man they sought had been at one of the farm houses.
The army would not name the man they had targeted, but said he was believed to have taken over Saddam's security after the detention of Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti, Saddam's cousin and presidential secretary on June 17.
Hundreds of soldiers, backed by Bradley fighting vehicles, surrounded the farms as Apache attack helicopters hovered above. No shots were fired. Some 25 men were in the houses. They were briefly detained and released later. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
