U.S. Troops Arrest 'High-Value Target'

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Dec. 16, 2003 — -- Saddam Hussein is not providing much information to his interrogators, but military officials said today his capture has led to key intelligence on the insurgency against U.S. forces in Iraq and to the arrest of a rebel leader described as a "high-value target."

Officials have said they hope Saddam, who was captured over the weekend, will yield clues on both the ongoing search for weapons of mass destruction and the identities of those who have been behind the attacks against U.S. forces since President Bush declared an end to major combat operations in May.

U.S. officials had characterized the former Iraqi dictator, who is being held at an undisclosed location, as defiant and sarcastic, yet resigned to his fate. Saddam, the officials said, has not provided substantial information.

But the officials also have maintained they are gathering valuable intelligence and are closing in on regime loyalists and other high-ranking former Baath Party officials who have eluded capture.

Documents found in Saddam's briefcase led to the arrest today of a senior regime loyalist described as a general — a "high-level target" — and 78 other suspected insurgents during a raid in the restive Iraqi town of Samarra. However, the rebel leader was not on the U.S. deck of cards depicting the 55 most-wanted Iraqis.

The documents also led to the discovery of 14 resistance cells — with between 10 and 20 members each — in Baghdad alone. U.S. officials believe Saddam has given guidance to some key people involved in the insurgency against U.S. troops.

However, military officials do not believe Saddam was actually directing the attacks. They believe his control over the rebels was minimal, but that he provided insurgents with inspiration and money. Saddam had $750,000 in cash with him when troops captured him on Saturday, and a military official told ABCNEWS that a Saddam facilitator has since been arrested with nearly $2 million in new $100 U.S. bills.

CIA Chief Takes Over Saddam Interrogation

In Washington, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld today told reporters that CIA Director George Tenet is taking the lead in overseeing Saddam's interrogation. Rumsfeld refused to say if the ousted Iraq leader had been cooperative or had provided any important information to his interrogators.

Rumsfeld did not speculate on whether Saddam would talk — what would it would take to get him to cooperate with investigators.

"What might motivate a person like that is difficult," Rumsfeld said. "I'm not a psychiatrist … I have no idea what might affect him. And I wouldn't rule anything in or anything out."

The Blood Continues to Spill

As President Bush warned, Saddam's capture has not stopped the violence aimed at U.S. troops in Iraq. Initial celebrations in the streets of Iraq have slowly been replaced by pro-Saddam demonstrations and rebel attacks.

On Monday, forces killed 11 insurgents who ambushed a U.S. patrol in Samarra in what U.S. troops called a complex and well-planned attack.

U.S. military officials said guerrilla scouts released a flock of pigeons as the U.S. patrol approached. Two men on motorbikes then opened fire and apparently hid behind Iraqi students coming out of school. U.S. military officials believe the pigeons were a signal for attack.

In Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, a roadside bomb wounded three U.S. soldiers, two seriously. And in Ramadi, soldiers killed three protesters and wounded two more after hundreds of people rallied in a show of support for Saddam.

A pro-Saddam demonstration by university students in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul turned violent today when students clashed with Iraqi policemen, who in turn fired warning shots to disperse the crowd. One policeman was killed and another was injured, police said.

Weighing In on Saddam’s Future

Meanwhile, the debate on Saddam's future has seen clashing views from the Iraqi Governing Council, the United Nations and others on how to bring the former Iraqi strongman to justice.

Iraqi political leaders have suggested an Iraqi-run tribunal could begin prosecuting Saddam as early as next year despite mountains of evidence and indictments that would need to be sifted through.

Speaking on ABCNEWS' Good Morning America today, Salem Chalabi, adviser to the Iraq-run tribunal, said although Saddam's sudden arrest took the tribunal by surprise, members had started preparing indictments for a number of defendants.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said he would not back the death penalty for the 66-year-old former leader. And several rights groups have said Iraq is not yet capable of mounting a trial to international standards.

In an interview with the Arabic Al Arabiya TV station from Jordan, Saddam's eldest daughter, Raghad, said today she and her sisters wanted an internationaltrial for their father.

"We want an international, fair and legal trial," she said, adding Saddam's family would appoint a lawyer to defend him.

Speaking on Good Morning America today, Richard Holbrooke, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, warned about the political and symbolic implications of the trial process.

"The issue here is not simply what happens to him [Saddam], but what the trial tells the world about his rule, so that there's no possibility of him being martyred or considered any sort of victim or hero," said Holbrooke.

ABCNEWS' Martha Raddatz contributed to this report.