US to pay out €28.6m Saddam award
The US has approved the payment of the €28.6m reward to the Iraqi who revealed where Saddam Hussein’s two sons were hiding.
Secretary of State Colin Powell decided to award the the cash for the information that led troops to Uday and Qusay’s hideout – the largest award ever made under the reward programme.
The brothers were killed by anti-tank missiles fired into the villa in the northern city of Mosul where they had been hiding.
The US government’s policy is not to publicly identify informants.
But neighbours of Sheik Nawaf al-Zaydan Muhhamad, an Iraqi with ties to Saddam Hussein, have blamed him for tipping off coalition forces that the ousted Iraqi leader’s sons were staying with him and his family.
They said they became suspicious of the sheik when his wife and their four daughters left the house early the morning of the shootings and did not return.
Three hours after the women left, US troops walked up to the front door, knocked and asked all those inside to come out. Muhhamad and his only son, Shalan, left with their hands on their heads, neighbours said. Coalition forces took them away.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the next US goal is to get Saddam, himself. A €28.6m reward has been posted for his capture.
