Saddam Hussein's tomb destroyed as battle for Tikrit rages

posted on: Mar 16, 2015

The tomb of Iraq’s late dictator Saddam Hussein was virtually levelled in heavy clashes between Isis militants and Iraqi forces in a fight for control of the city of Tikrit.

Fighting intensified to the north and south of Saddam’s hometown on Sunday as Iraqi security forces vowed to reach the centre of Tikrit within 48 hours. All that was left of Hussein’s once-lavish tomb were the support columns that held up the roof.

Poster-sized pictures of Saddam, which once covered the mausoleum, were nowhere to be seen amid the mountains of concrete rubble. Instead, Shia militia flags and photographs of militia leaders marked the predominantly Sunni village, including that of Major General Qassem Soleimani, the powerful Iranian general advising Iraqi Shia militias on the battlefield.

Source: www.theguardian.com