Army officials in Iraq report Saddam sightings

[Lionel]

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A senior Pentagon official sought to play down comments Monday by Army officers in Iraq that military intelligence had reported credible recent sightings of deposed dictator Saddam Hussein north of Baghdad.

"We have clear indications that Saddam was here recently," said Maj. Troy Smith, executive officer of the 1st Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division, which is headquartered in Tikrit.

"Do I know where he is? No," Smith told reporters, but he pointed out that Tikrit is Saddam's ancestral home. "Where else would he go to? He has family and tribal roots here."

In Washington, the senior Pentagon official said: "There is no new intelligence about the whereabouts of Saddam Hussein."

The information on Saddam came from various sources in the 4th Infantry Division's area of operations, said Maj. Josslyn Aberle, a division spokeswoman.

She said that included the kind of "human intelligence" that led division troops to the dictator's sons, Uday and Qusay Hussein, killed during a firefight July 22 in the northern town of Mosul.

The Iraqi who provided the tip on their whereabouts was later paid $30 million -- $15 million for each son. There is a $25 million reward for any information leading to Saddam's capture or killing.

Full Story