US forces left security during Saddam Hussein's execution to Iraqi authorities Saturday but would have handled the hanging "differently", US Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said during a press conference in Baghdad Wednesday.
Caldwell said that US-led coalition forces transported Saddam to the execution site, left him in the care of Iraqi authorities, and then withdrew from the premises, and had no part in the searching of witnesses for unauthorized media equipment, including mobile phones and video devices: “We were not involved in any search of any people, we had nobody present, we did not dictate any requirements that had to be followed. … The multinational force had absolutely no direct involvement with that whatsoever.â€
The release of an unofficial video of the hanging, allegedly taken by a witness with a camera phone, has prompted protests from Sunnis, outrage outside of Iraq, and an investigation by the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki into its taping and distribution. The video shows that Saddam was taunted by his guards before the hanging took place. |
|
Lawyer News RSS
