16/02/2026
SADDAM HUSSEIN
For months after the fall of Baghdad,
Saddam Hussein seemed to vanish.
No palace. No broadcasts. No sightings.
The most hunted man in the world had disappeared into the dust of Iraq.
What followed was one of the most intense manhunts in modern history.
Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq from 1979 to 2003.
His leadership was marked by power, fear, and war.
He was known for leading Iraq into the brutal Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988),
Invading Kuwait in 1990 which triggered the Gulf War,
Using chemical weapons against civilians and opponents,
Running an authoritarian government built on intimidation,
And being overthrown in 2003 during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq
When Baghdad fell, Saddam didn’t surrender.
He disappeared.
By April 2003, Saddam’s government had collapsed,
But Saddam himself was gone.
The U.S. launched a massive manhunt.
April–May 2003:
Baghdad falls and Saddam goes into hiding.
Summer 2003:
Top Iraqi officials are captured and the famous
“Most Wanted”
Deck of cards is released with Saddam
As the Ace of Spades.
Mid-2003:
Saddam moves constantly between farms, villages, and safe houses.
Late 2003:
U.S. intelligence begins closing in by tracking his inner circle, messengers,
And family connections.
The search was not about satellites.
It was about people.
The breakthrough did not come from high-tech surveillance.
It came from human intelligence.
U.S. forces relied heavily on informants, detainees,
And local Iraqis.
Small tips slowly narrowed the search area.
They targeted Saddam’s inner circle by capturing
And interrogating aides, guards, and couriers.
Each arrest exposed another link in his hiding network
Until they identified the routes
And messengers still loyal to him.
On December 13, 2003,
U.S. forces launched Operation Red Dawn near Ad-Dawr,
Close to Saddam’s hometown of Tikrit.
Two farm locations were searched.
At one of them, soldiers discovered a small underground bunker
Barely large enough
