And Then There Was One

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Plenty of other Iraqis have been waiting for their own moment to exact revenge for the regime's crimes — which is why U.S. officials are cautiously optimistic that they can nab Saddam. After last week's siege on the Mosul house, U.S. intelligence officers scoured the wreckage for any clue to Saddam's whereabouts. A man who was in the crowd was identified to a TIME reporter as one of Saddam's personal escorts from a small group within the feared Special Security Organization, which was run by Qusay. Another member of the family's protection squad was pointed out later that day in a busy shopping district in Mosul. Asked by TIME's reporter about al-Zaydan's relationship to Saddam, the man replied, "I don't know. I'm not from Mosul. I'm from Baghdad. I'm here as a tourist." Then a companion whisked him away.

The willingness of Iraqis to point fingers at such people is what gives U.S. officials renewed hope of capturing Saddam. Says Timothy Yusef Youkhana, a medical technician who long served the Husseins, especially Uday: "Saddam is an old man, and both his sons have died. Who is with him? He is alone now." U.S. forces hope to provide some company soon.