Saddam Hussein revealed little valuable information while he was held captive by U.S. forces but he did make some startling comments about the 1990 invasion of Kuwait and a killing committed by his son Uday, The New York Times reported on Friday.
The ousted Iraqi leader did not say much to interrogators about his weapons programs and the insurgency in postwar Iraq during his nearly seven months in U.S. custody, the newspaper said, citing interviews with senior U.S. officials involved in his detention.
Saddam was formally handed over to Iraqi justice on Wednesday but the U.S. military still guards him. He was brought to a special Iraqi court on Thursday to face charges of crimes against humanity.
While in U.S. custody, Saddam made notable observations such as when he told interrogators that a principal reason for invading Kuwait was his belief that he needed to keep his army occupied, the newspaper said.
Neighbors at bay?
Saddam also reportedly told his U.S. interrogators that he was surprised by the U.S. invasion of his country in March 2003.
One official told the Times that Saddam apparently believed the guessing game over whether he did or didn’t have weapons of mass destruction "would keep the neighbors at bay, while the U.S. would be hung up in interminable debate at the U.N."
On another occasion, Saddam related how his son Uday had beaten to death someone who had annoyed him by playing music too loudly, the Times said. Saddam said he had Uday imprisoned in solitary confinement for a time to teach him a lesson, the newspaper said.
The newspaper said it was unclear whether Saddam was referring an incident in 1988, in which it was widely reported that Uday bludgeoned to death his father’s valet and food taster. Uday and Qusay, Saddam’s other son, were killed in a gun battle with U.S. forces last July.
The Times cited a U.S. official as saying that Saddam willingly discussed the roots of the Baath Party in the 1970s but became uncooperative when the questions turned to illegal weapons or links to al-Qaida.
