Capture of Saddam Hussein

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Operation Red Dawn
Part of the Iraq War
Samir, a 34-year-old Iraqi-American military interpreter who helped find Saddam and pull him from his hideaway in December 2003.
Location	Ad-Dawr, Iraq 34°28′22″N 43°46′53″E / 34.47278°N 43.78139°E / 34.47278; 43.78139[1]
Commanded by	Maj. Gen. Raymond Odierno Col. James Hickey Lt. Col. Steve Russell
Date	13 December 2003; 20 years ago (2003-12-13)
Executed by	4th Infantry Division 1st Brigade Combat Team Task Force 121 C Squadron – Delta Force ISA
Outcome	Operational success Capture and arrest of deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and two others[2]

Saddam Hussein, the deposed president of Iraq, was captured by the United States military in the town of Ad-Dawr, Iraq on 13 December 2003. Codenamed Operation Red Dawn, this military operation was named after the 1984 American film Red Dawn.^[3]

The mission was executed by joint operations Task Force 121—an elite and covert joint special operations team, supported by the 1st Brigade Combat Team (led by Colonel James Hickey) of the 4th Infantry Division, commanded by Major General Raymond Odierno.

They searched two sites, "Wolverine 1" and "Wolverine 2", outside the town of ad-Dawr, but did not find Saddam. A continued search between the two sites found Saddam hiding in a "spider hole" at 20:30 hrs local Iraqi time. Saddam did not resist capture.^[4]