The war is almost over. But Saddam Hussein has disappeared. The main target has eluded the allied forces. Nobody knows whether Saddam is dead or alive. It is the biggest puzzle of the war. The latest information from Pentagon suggests that proving Saddam's Death could take "weeks". But many people can't help thinking: Weeks? Months? Years? Never?
Saddam is on street being hailed by Iraqi people; Saddam is giving a speech, telling his people the victory is around the corner; Saddam again is having meeting with his cabinet, with a smile on his face…
Saddam has kept appearing on TV screens around the world since the war started in late March. But people have questioned: Is it the real Saddam? Are there many “Saddams”? Is he still alive in Iraq or elsewhere? Wild guessing is the order of the day. So let's look at some possibilities.
>>The first possibility: Saddam is dead
Analysts who support this version say that the Saddam's video on TV was taped before the war. Some US media said that Saddam probably died in either the first round of air strike on March 19 or the one on April 7. Those two attacks were said to aim at killing Saddam and other top Iraqi leaders and based on sound intelligence sources. But, so far, no one has found Saddam's body.
>>The second possibility: Saddam has fled to take refuge in another country.
The US has accused both Russia and Syria of harboring Saddam and his family. However, both countries denied doing so.
This second possibility is partly based on speculation from Arab media saying that Saddam may have run away after cosmetic surgery before the war. Many Arab analysts also suspect that Saddam left Iraq secretly under a top secret deal with U.S. Analysts say this version could explain why there is no big Iraqi resistance in Baghdad and Tikrit and no use of described chemical or biological weapons. But United States strongly dismissed such assumptions.
>>The third version: Saddam is still hiding somewhere in Iraq
Many military expert suspect that Saddam and his troops are still hiding in the labyrinth of underground tunnels around Iraq, waiting for chances to beat a comeback.
But where has he gone? And for how long will the shadow of Saddam Hussein fade out from the war-torn country? No one has a sure answer.
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