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U.S. military details demise of Hussein's sons
(CNN) -- Wednesday morning a U.S. military leader detailed the four-hour operation that ended in the deaths of Saddam Hussein's sons Uday and Qusay on Tuesday. During a briefing, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, who leads ground forces in Iraq, described the assault that spanned four hours in a crowded neighborhood in northeastern Mosul. Below are details from that briefing describing the equipment, troops, plans and execution related to the battle: The informant:An Iraqi gave U.S. forces information that Uday and Qusay Hussein were in a house in northeast Mosul. The informant is in protective custody and will receive two $15 million rewards for the Hussein brothers. The officer said the informant was being protected because "People...know who owned the house," but he would not confirm that the informant was the owner. The place:A three-story house in a close-quartered northeast neighborhood of Mosul. The crowded nature of the area limits the type of weapons U.S. forces can use in the assault. The target was the house's second floor, which had been fortified. The equipment:Delta Kiowa attack helicopters equipped with 2.75-inch rockets and machine guns. Humvees equipped with TOW. anti-tank systems. Humvees with mounted machine guns. On stand-by: AH-64 Apache Helicopters and U.S. Air Force A-10s. The forces:U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division U.S. Army Infantry Iraqi police The attack:10 a.m.: Weapons squads and anti-tank platoons of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Divisions establish a cordon and isolate the area. Iraqi police establish the outer cordon. An Iraqi interpreter uses a bullhorn outside the house to urge its occupants to come out. 10:10 a.m.: U.S. troops enter the house and a firefight ensues. Three soldiers are wounded on the stairs to the second floor, where the occupants are barricaded. Sanchez said he believes the suspects fired on the soldiers with AK-47s. The coalition troops retreat. 10:45 a.m.: U.S. military begins a preparatory attack, using Mark-19 grenade launchers, AT-4 rockets and 50-caliber machine guns mounted on Humvees. 11:45 a.m.: A coalition commander decides to add rocket and machine gun fire from Delta Kiowa helicopters. 11:50 a.m.: The commander adds an anti-tank platoon to the assault team. 11:55 a.m.: The Kiowa helicopter finishes its preparatory gunfire and U.S. troops attempt to enter the house a second time five minutes later. Once again, they receive more gunfire from the barricaded second floor and retreat. 1 p.m.: U.S. commanders employ more rockets, machine guns and Humvee-mounted TOW missiles, firing 10 missiles into the house. Commanders decide not to use Apache helicopters, fearing civilian deaths. Military officials said they believe that assault killed three of the four people in the house. 1:21 p.m.: Coalition troops enter the house for the third time, receiving no gunfire as they climb stairs to the second floor. Once on the second floor, the surviving male shoots at them and troops kill him. 2 p.m.: Coalition forces secure the building and find four bodies. They search the site for pertinent intelligence information.
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