While not sure that it really was Saddam’s two sons in the building, the American troops finally assaulted the place, rather than settling in for a long siege, because they feared that there might be a secret escape tunnel that would enable whoever was in the building to escape. It was a tough call to make, as the two brothers could have provided a bonanza of information if taken alive. But the risk of losing them was real, and the decision was made to end the operation by having the troops fight their way into the fortified second story area where the four Iraqis were.
Would have been nice to have their live personages paraded through Baghdad before Nuremberg-style trials. Oh, well... |