Decision ‘08

Countdown To A Hanging

Events are now unfolding quickly and Saddam Hussein appears to be nearing the end of his days. I’ll update with links when available, but the former Iraqi dictator is now in the custody of the current Iraqi government. The execution may well come in hours…

UPDATE 12:20 p.m.: Uncertainty is still the watchword, and that’s probably intentional. From the Washington Post:

American and Iraqi officials said Friday that the execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is imminent and could occur as early as Friday night or Saturday morning in Iraq.

There were conflicting accounts on Friday of whether the U.S. military, which had been detaining Hussein, had handed him over to Iraqi authorities. The Associated Press and Reuters news services quoted Hussein’s lawyers as saying that U.S. officials have transferred Hussein to Iraqi custody, but a U.S. official told The Washington Post at 8:45 p.m. Baghdad time (12:45 p.m. EST) that Hussein was still in U.S. custody.

“At this point in time, Saddam Hussein has not been turned over to Iraqi authorities,” the official said. “We are certain.”

Munir Haddad, a judge on the appeals court that upheld Hussein’s death sentence, told the AP that “Saddam will be executed today or tomorrow. All the measures have been done.”

But U.S. and Iraqi officials stressed that the date of the execution is still in flux and could change at moment’s notice because security is a major concern. Iraqi officials have said that they are considering hanging Saddam in secret and delaying an official announcement of his death in order to prevent retaliatory attacks.

UPDATE 1:30 p.m.: From Iraq the Model:

It’s very imminent now and might become a fact at any minute.

The situation in Baghdad is tense now and US and Iraqi forces are heavily deployed on the streets.

We’re hearing and reading more confirmations that US military has already turned Saddam in to the Iraqi authorities and I don’t think the government is willing, or able, to keep him in custody for too long.

Rumors are spreading fast through phones and text messages in Baghdad, mostly saying that curfew will be imposed in the city tomorrow. No word about that from state TV though.

Friends and relatives are calling me asking me whether he’s been already executed, some are claiming he already has.

Meanwhile lots of updates are coming through news TV here; al-Arabiya reporter said the noose is already set in a yard in the IZ. Al-Hurra reported that preparations for the execution are underway and no delay is expected.

But Mohammed buries the lede: