US army seals Saddam bunker

US army engineers have sealed the underground bunker where former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was captured to prevent it becoming a tourist attraction, a military spokesman said today.

Soldiers lowered a 300lb slab of concrete over the hole earlier this month, said Master Sergeant Robert Cargie, a spokesman for the 4th Infantry Division.

Saddam was captured on December 13 in the infamous bunker in the small farming village of Adwar, a short drive from his hometown of Tikrit.

He had evaded US forces for nearly eight months.

Cargie said the hole was sealed to “limit human traffic” to the area.

Since the arrest, a steady stream of US soldiers, journalists and visiting foreign officials have travelled to Adwar to have their picture taken next to - or inside – the bunker.

Cargie said that cover, which was put in place on February 4, could be removed if access to the hole was needed in the future.

Saddam escaped to the bunker when he heard patrolling US forces pass by. It is next to a small cement-floored bedroom, an outdoor kitchen and a humble bathroom.

These buildings remain in place, Cargie said.

Saddam is being held by US forces at an undisclosed location.