THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. Yesterday, December the 13th, at around
8:30 p.m. Baghdad time, United States military forces captured Saddam Hussein
alive. He was found near a farmhouse outside the city of Tikrit, in a swift
raid conducted without casualties. And now the former dictator of Iraq will
face the justice he denied to millions.
The capture of this man was crucial to the rise of a free Iraq. It marks
the end of the road for him, and for all who bullied and killed in his name.
For the Baathist holdouts largely responsible for the current violence, there
will be no return to the corrupt power and privilege they once held. For the
vast majority of Iraqi citizens who wish to live as free men and women, this
event brings further assurance that the torture chambers and the secret police
are gone forever.
And this afternoon, I have a message for the Iraqi people: You will not
have to fear the rule of Saddam Hussein ever again. All Iraqis who take the
side of freedom have taken the winning side. The goals of our coalition are the
same as your goals — sovereignty for your country, dignity for your great
culture, and for every Iraqi citizen, the opportunity for a better life.
In the history of Iraq, a dark and painful era is over. A hopeful day has
arrived. All Iraqis can now come together and reject violence and build a new
Iraq.
The success of yesterday’s mission is a tribute to our men and women now
serving in Iraq. The operation was based on the superb work of intelligence
analysts who found the dictator’s footprints in a vast country. The operation
was carried out with skill and precision by a brave fighting force. Our
servicemen and women and our coalition allies have faced many dangers in the
hunt for members of the fallen regime, and in their effort to bring hope and
freedom to the Iraqi people. Their work continues, and so do the risks. Today,
on behalf of the nation, I thank the members of our Armed Forces and I
congratulate them.
I also have a message for all Americans: The capture of Saddam Hussein
does not mean the end of violence in Iraq. We still face terrorists who would
rather go on killing the innocent than accept the rise of liberty in the heart
of the Middle East. Such men are a direct threat to the American people, and
they will be defeated.
We’ve come to this moment through patience and resolve and focused action.
And that is our strategy moving forward. The war on terror is a different kind
of war, waged capture by capture, cell by cell, and victory by victory. Our
security is assured by our perseverance and by our sure belief in the success of
liberty. And the United States of America will not relent until this war is
won.
May God bless the people of Iraq, and may God bless America. Thank you.