Saddam’s last stronghold on verge of collapse as Bush warns Syria
After nightfall, US Marines fought Iraqi troops, including tanks, on the southern outskirts of Tikrit, where American commanders suspect remaining units of the Republican Guard and Saddam’s Fedayeen fighters will mount a last stand.
Americans rejoiced as all seven listed US prisoners of war were found safe and well on the road between Baghdad and Tikrit after their captors apparently fled from US Marines advancing on Saddam’s besieged hometown. “The guards evidently were deserted by their officers and the guards themselves brought the prisoners of war to the Marines,” said Lt Col Nick Morano at Marine headquarters southeast of Baghdad.
Five of the prisoners, including one woman, were members of a maintenance company captured on March 23 when their convoy was ambushed. The other two POWs were pilots whose Apache helicopter went down the same day.
US President George W Bush hailed the release of the American prisoners and warned Damascus not to give sanctuary to fleeing Iraqi leaders.
“Syria just needs to co-operate with the United States and our coalition partners, not harbour any Ba’athists, any military officials, any people who need to be held to account,” Mr Bush told reporters at the White House.
US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said some leading members of Saddam’s ousted government had already taken refuge in Syria.
“The (Syrian) government is making a lot of bad mistakes, a lot of bad judgments in my view,” Mr Rumsfeld said. He declined to say what Washington might do if Saddam surfaces in Syria.
“The last thing I would do would be to discuss that,” he said.
Mr Rumsfeld also said Syrians had been actively involved in fighting US forces, especially in Baghdad Mr Bush appeared to ratchet up the pressure yesterday by suggesting that Syria has chemical weapons.
“I think that we believe there are chemical weapons in Syria, for example,” he said.
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