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Saddam sons' bodies had "Facial Reconstruction" no evidence of suicide (Reuters)
Reuters | 25-jul-03 | Reuters

Posted on 07/25/2003 4:46:16 AM PDT by 12B

13:29 25Jul2003 RTRS-REUTERS SHOWN BODIES BY US OFFICIALS, CORRESPONDENT SAYS LOOK LIKE SADDAM SONS 13:32 25Jul2003 RTRS-BODIES HAVE UNDERGONE "FACIAL RECONSTRUCTION", U.S. MILITARY SAYS 13:33 25Jul2003 RTRS-U.S. OFFICIALS SAY NO EVIDENCE SADDAM SONS COMMITTED SUICIDE 13:37 25Jul2003 RTRS-Reuters sees Baghdad bodies, look like Saddam sons

BAGHDAD, July 25 (Reuters) - Officials from the U.S.-led administration in Iraq showed independent journalists two corpses on Friday that Washington says it is sure are the bodies of Saddam Hussein's sons. "I've been shown the bodies and they do appear to be those of Uday and Qusay," Reuters correspondent Andrew Marshall said from a makeshift, tented U.S. military morgue at Baghdad's international airport. U.S. officials say they are certain that their troops killed the hated brothers in rocket strikes on a villa in the northern city of Mosul on Tuesday. It is keen to convince Iraqis they no longer have any reason to fear the former ruling family but many say they remain unconvinced by photographs. U.S. officials said there was no evidence the sons committed suicide. A U.S. military official said the bodies had undergone post-mortem "facial reconstruction". ((Reporting by Andrew Marshall, writing by Alastair Macdonald, editing by Howard Goller))

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TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: hamburger; iraq; qusay; tow; uday
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1 posted on 07/25/2003 4:46:17 AM PDT by 12B
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To: sinkspur
Ping—Good catch.
2 posted on 07/25/2003 4:48:44 AM PDT by theophilusscribe
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To: 12B
To Reuters, one man's facial reconstruction is another man's "dead chic".....
3 posted on 07/25/2003 4:49:34 AM PDT by anniegetyourgun
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To: 12B
A U.S. military official said the bodies had undergone post-mortem "facial reconstruction".

What the heck does that mean? Why the suicide comment? Reuters is getting weirder.

4 posted on 07/25/2003 4:51:03 AM PDT by Mind-numbed Robot (Not all things that need to be done need to be done by the government.)
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To: anniegetyourgun
To Reuters, one man's facial reconstruction is another man's "dead chic".....

Death becomes them...

5 posted on 07/25/2003 4:51:07 AM PDT by Carolina
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Comment #6 Removed by Moderator

Comment #7 Removed by Moderator

To: Carolina
Lets all be careful here ......Reuters tends to make up stories...
8 posted on 07/25/2003 4:56:22 AM PDT by Dog
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To: 12B
Rueters is like the BBC; they like to discredit and cast doubt with flimsy crap.
9 posted on 07/25/2003 4:56:58 AM PDT by demlosers (Come out of the shadows)
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To: 12B
Why is the media making such a big deal of learning everything there is to know about these corpses? Who gives a crap, they are dead, and we must move on to crush the remaining killers.
10 posted on 07/25/2003 4:58:34 AM PDT by yonif
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To: 12B
Reuters Sees Baghdad Bodies, Look Like Saddam Sons
Fri July 25, 2003 07:41 AM ET

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Officials from the U.S.-led administration in Iraq showed independent journalists two corpses on Friday that Washington says it is sure are the bodies of Saddam Hussein's sons.

"I've been shown the bodies and they do appear to be those of Uday and Qusay," Reuters correspondent Andrew Marshall said from a makeshift, tented U.S. military morgue at Baghdad's international airport.

U.S. officials say they are certain that their troops killed the hated brothers in rocket strikes on a villa in the northern city of Mosul on Tuesday. It is keen to convince Iraqis they no longer have any reason to fear the former ruling family but many say they remain unconvinced by photographs.

U.S. officials said there was no evidence the sons committed suicide. A U.S. military official said the bodies had undergone post-mortem "facial reconstruction."

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=MO4VVMZHM0OH2CRBAEOCFFA?type=topNews&storyID=3159332


11 posted on 07/25/2003 4:58:42 AM PDT by KS Flyover
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To: Dog
I get the impression that DNA matches are necessary before paying the 30 mil reward.
12 posted on 07/25/2003 4:59:37 AM PDT by meenie
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To: Mind-numbed Robot
There were earlier reports that one of the sons had shot himself.
13 posted on 07/25/2003 4:59:56 AM PDT by Rebelbase
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To: All
If this is true that? It's the stupidist thing I ever heard. Why the facial reconstruction? Now those who are looking for an excuse to doubt that their dead will run with this ball. Stupid, stupid, stupid in my opinion!!! Don't the people who are in charge have any common sense. The egg heads are in charge. I hope I'm wrong!!! But it looks like not!!!
14 posted on 07/25/2003 5:00:02 AM PDT by Terp (Retired US Navy now living in Philippines were the Moutains meet the Sea in the Land of Smiles)
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To: 12B
"post-mortem "facial reconstruction".

Does that mean they had to scrape half their faces off the wall and slap them back on with a little Krazy Glue?

15 posted on 07/25/2003 5:01:22 AM PDT by Hatteras (The Thundering Herd Of Turtles ROCK!)
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To: Dog
Reuters tends to make up stories

As well as some other "illustrious" news outlets.

16 posted on 07/25/2003 5:02:29 AM PDT by Carolina
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To: Hatteras
Does that mean they had to scrape half their faces off the wall and slap them back on with a little Krazy Glue?

I think it was more like taking the WALLS off their terrorist faces.

17 posted on 07/25/2003 5:03:04 AM PDT by yonif
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To: Carolina
Fox just said each of the "kids" died of 20 gunshots....
18 posted on 07/25/2003 5:04:16 AM PDT by Dog
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To: Terp
Reuters reporter: Is this how they looked when you found them?

Military official: Well, we did have to put their eyeballs back in and close their eyes.

Reporter (typing furiously on laptop): Aha! Facial reconstruction!!

19 posted on 07/25/2003 5:05:49 AM PDT by Miss Marple
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To: Dog
Nah - its believeable

Udays cheeks appeared crushed and his nose was way off center - the other perp didnt look too bad at all - 'cept for that tow rocket enema

Thats gonna leave a mark

20 posted on 07/25/2003 5:06:16 AM PDT by Revelation 911
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To: Terp
If this is true that? It's the stupidist thing I ever heard. Why the facial reconstruction?

I guess you noticed Reuters did not ask for or supply an explanation. Piss poor reporting.

So the question to Reuters is why those idiot reporters didn't ask the obvious follow up question?

21 posted on 07/25/2003 5:06:54 AM PDT by demlosers (Come out of the shadows)
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To: Revelation 911
HMM? Is A Tow in the mouth, kind of like a "foot in the mouth"?
22 posted on 07/25/2003 5:16:15 AM PDT by hoosiermama (.Prayers for all)
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To: demlosers
Reuters did not ask for or supply an explanation

Exactly. Reuters can say "facial reconstruction" and leave that phrase hanging out there for everyone else to interpret and agonize over, and to create controversy and doubt, when it may mean nothing more than hosing off some of the blood and guts.

23 posted on 07/25/2003 5:16:24 AM PDT by mountaineer
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To: 12B
A U.S. military official said the bodies had undergone post-mortem "facial reconstruction".

That's just a polite way of saying that soldiers of the 101st kicked their lifeless faces in.

24 posted on 07/25/2003 5:18:34 AM PDT by Physicist
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To: Physicist
After seeing who had come a knocking.. Uday & Qusay had a pucker factor that had to be sucked back out
25 posted on 07/25/2003 5:22:08 AM PDT by boxerblues (God Bless the 101st, stay safe, stay alert and watch your backs)
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Comment #26 Removed by Moderator

To: 12B
post-mortem "facial reconstruction"

Just like Nancy Pelosi.

27 posted on 07/25/2003 5:25:48 AM PDT by Tijeras_Slim
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To: Miss Marple
I read in one report that the US military could only match one of them with 80% certainty based on dental records alone - the reason for the 80% was that his mouth was blown off and the remainging 20% of the teeth were missing. The other they could match dental records to 100% accuracy.
28 posted on 07/25/2003 5:28:25 AM PDT by MrsEmmaPeel
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To: mountaineer
...it may mean nothing more than hosing off some of the blood and guts.

Exactly. I'm thinking they called in a mortician to do his thing.

29 posted on 07/25/2003 5:38:37 AM PDT by randog (Everything works great 'til the current flows.)
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To: Mind-numbed Robot
It means that Uday, who whas shot in the face, was "prettied up".
30 posted on 07/25/2003 5:51:14 AM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Even if the government took all your earnings, you wouldn’t be, in its eyes, a slave.)
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To: Terp
Your # 14 is the most cogent reply so far. My immediate reaction was the same as yours as soon as I read the title.....stupid, stupid, stupid.

However, I don't trust Reuters, either, so we'll just have to wait to see what's true and what isn't. I'll bet Reuters left a lot out of the announcement.

Leni

31 posted on 07/25/2003 5:51:49 AM PDT by MinuteGal
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To: demlosers
...Piss poor reporting...

It's not 'reporting'. It's a propaganda piece.

32 posted on 07/25/2003 5:52:25 AM PDT by martin gibson
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To: 12B

Here's the SAW the Screaming Eagle's "Nip n Tuck" Unit used for de-constructive elective cosmetic surgery........BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

33 posted on 07/25/2003 5:55:56 AM PDT by joesnuffy (Moderate Islam Is For Dilettantes)
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To: Tijeras_Slim
post-mortem "facial reconstruction"

Just like Nancy Pelosi.

People in my political circle call her the Queen of Botox. She does look sort of "dead". Sort of like Saddam's boys.

34 posted on 07/25/2003 5:58:45 AM PDT by Arrowhead1952 (Clone Ann Coulter, the woman sent by God)
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To: 12B; All
U.S. Displays Bodies That Look Like Saddam's Sons

Reuters


July 25

— By Andrew Marshall

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Striving to convince fearful Iraqis that Saddam Hussein's sons are dead, U.S. officials showed Reuters and other journalists two bodies Friday that Washington says it is certain are those of Uday and Qusay.

But unlike grisly, blood spattered photographs published by the U.S. military earlier, the faces had been touched up and shaved to make them more closely resemble the brothers in life -- a U.S. official insisted the aim was not to deceive.

About 15 journalists saw two corpses laid out in a tented military morgue. They did look like the two brothers, whom U.S. troops said they killed in a raid in Mosul Tuesday.

The face of Uday, 39, had been repaired. The U.S. pictures showed wounds that officers said were sustained in the siege of a villa in the northern city, where he and his younger brother went down fighting an overwhelming force firing rockets.

"The two bodies have undergone facial reconstruction with morticians putty to make them resemble as closely as possible the faces of the brothers when they were alive," a U.S. military official said. He called it standard practice, although such post-mortem work is frowned on by most Muslims.

U.S. officials have yet to decide how the bodies will be disposed of, another possible controversy in the light of strict Muslim traditions on burial.

Qusay's uncharacteristic beard, visible in the original U.S. photographs, had been shaved off but a mustache, which he normally wore, had been left. The gaping wound in Uday's face, visible in the pictures, was gone but a hole in the top of his head was still visible to reporters.

U.S. officials said they had ruled out earlier speculation that he might have shot himself in the head to avoid capture.

HARD TO CONVINCE

Despite the earlier photographs, published Thursday, many Iraqis, brought up on the official lies of the Saddam decades and mistrustful of their American occupiers, were unconvinced.

Many say they cannot relax until they know Saddam himself, now in hiding with $25 million on his head, is dead.

Hence the decision to bus some 15 independent journalists including television cameramen and photographers to view the bodies in a small, air-conditioned beige tent at the airport -- formerly Saddam International and now a U.S. military base.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he ordered the release of the pictures -- despite questions about its morality and accusations of hypocrisy -- to help convince frightened Iraqis that Saddam's reign was truly over, despite taped messages of defiance apparently issued by Saddam from hiding.

Americans hope that will prompt more of them to cooperate with U.S. troops and undermine daily guerrilla attacks that they blame on die-hard Saddam loyalists. Attacks have killed 44 soldiers since Washington declared major combat over on May 1.

But Iraqi analysts warn that other groups with no loyalty to Saddam may be involved in some of the attacks, including Islamic militants and nationalists giving vent to widespread resentment at the American takeover of their oil-rich country.

"These two sons of Saddam were responsible for hundreds and hundreds of people being tortured and maimed and murdered," President Bush said Thursday.

"And now the Iraqi people have seen clearly the intent of the United States to make sure that they are free and to make sure that the Saddam regime never returns again to Iraq."

DENTAL RECORDS

Yet some Iraqis say they would feel safe only if they saw for themselves the bodies of Uday, a feared rapist and torturer, and Qusay, 37, Saddam's calculating heir apparent. Others, including members of the fledgling self-rule body the Governing Council, lament the sons cannot now stand trial.

U.S. commanders have said four former aides, including Saddam's influential former presidential secretary, had identified the bodies. They also had perfect or near perfect matches on dental records and surgical X-rays.

The U.S. military also issued X-ray slides Thursday to show a match between the body and surgery carried out on Uday's legs after an assassination attempt in 1996. They declined to say where the records came from. Autopsies are planned.

Two other people were found dead in the Mosul villa after local people said the householder, a rich businessman with ties to the Saddam family, had betrayed them to the Americans. The informant stands to make up to $30 million in bounty money.

U.S. officials say one corpse is probably that of a bodyguard, the other possibly of Qusay's teenage son. Those bodies were not produced to journalists Friday.

Members of the Governing Council, appointed by the occupying authorities and comprising respected community leaders, were also shown the bodies Thursday.

Iraqi newspapers were not available in Baghdad Friday morning as local people attended weekly prayers at mosques. But editors said they would publish the photographs Saturday.

Many Iraqis, no matter how deeply they loathe Saddam and his family, find it hard to believe anything the Americans say and conspiracy theories are rife across the Arab world.

Businessman Khalil Ali said photographs meant nothing.

"They should have been hung up on poles in a square in Baghdad so all Iraqis could see them," he said. "Then they should have died as people ate them alive."

Whatever gratitude many Iraqis feel for the removal of Saddam, however, is often overshadowed in everyday remarks by a resentment at the heavily armored patrols along their streets.

A Reuters photographer watched troops storm a house on Baghdad's outskirts overnight, rounding up 16 men at gunpoint. Two of them, they believed, were behind a deadly ambush in the capital Monday. But the soldiers were unsure which two.

35 posted on 07/25/2003 6:00:25 AM PDT by kattracks
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To: Arrowhead1952; Tijeras_Slim
Here's another picture of the dead found inside that house in Mosul.


36 posted on 07/25/2003 6:01:47 AM PDT by CougarGA7
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To: 12B
It's very simple. Fingerprints and DNA. Will take a little time, but will be no problem.

Of course, despite all evidence, some will never admit to any US success.
37 posted on 07/25/2003 6:19:57 AM PDT by MindBender26 (For more news as it happens, stay tuned to your local FReeper station.........)
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To: CougarGA7
Shes one bugly itch!
38 posted on 07/25/2003 6:20:55 AM PDT by DEPUTYMAYTAG (o)
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To: 12B
Charlie Rangel: I think they are faking. No one has proven that they are really dead. It's just another lie by this administration.
39 posted on 07/25/2003 6:23:30 AM PDT by Loyal Buckeye
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To: 12B
“Are you Mary Queen of Scots?”
40 posted on 07/25/2003 6:24:13 AM PDT by mhking
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To: Terp
"The two bodies have undergone facial reconstruction with mortician's putty to make them resemble as closely as possible the faces of the brothers when they were alive", a US military official said."

If, again, this is true or just Reuters-speak, it IS stupid, stupid, stupid to have done this reconstruction so soon.

WE know there was no intent to deceive and that the bodies are those of the brothers. But the libs and Hussein propagandists will pick this one fact (if it is a fact) out of all other evidence and converge on it. I can hardly wait for CNN and the rest of the ravenous pack to start grinding on this as the day goes along.

Leni

41 posted on 07/25/2003 6:25:37 AM PDT by MinuteGal
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To: 12B
I think I just heard on CNN that they shaved the beards as well.
42 posted on 07/25/2003 6:26:56 AM PDT by Nexus
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To: 12B
Did they get a 'Gay' makover on Bravo?
43 posted on 07/25/2003 6:27:28 AM PDT by Semper Paratus
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To: MinuteGal
I just saw the video on Fox. The original pics were prior to the "reconstruction."

It's just what you would expect any mortician to do to any dead body. The bodies just look like the original photos, only cleaned up and makeup covering the wounds. Their beards were shaved and Qusay got a haircut.

The only people who will doubt that these two are not Q and U are those who want to doubt. Those people will never be convinced.
44 posted on 07/25/2003 6:37:58 AM PDT by ditin
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To: Revelation 911
Uday didn't have very prominent cheek bones when he was alive.
45 posted on 07/25/2003 6:46:02 AM PDT by NautiNurse
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To: CougarGA7
This picture needs a mandatory BARF alert any time it is posted. [pun intended] Can't even look at my tacos after that.
46 posted on 07/25/2003 6:46:39 AM PDT by Arrowhead1952 (Clone Ann Coulter, the woman sent by God)
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To: MrsEmmaPeel
The other they could match dental records to 100% accuracy.

If one is Uday or Qusay, and the other has a matching Y chromosome (which would be true if they were brothers) then you have a 100% match on the other too

47 posted on 07/25/2003 6:49:27 AM PDT by SauronOfMordor (Java/C++/Unix/Web Developer === will work for food)
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To: Loyal Buckeye
Charlie Rangel: I think they are faking. No one has proven that they are really dead. It's just another lie by this administration.

The Iraqis had Comical Ali aka Baghdad Bob, we have Comical Charlie aka Bag-eyed Rangel.

Ever notice they've never been seen together, at the same time, in the same place....? ;)
48 posted on 07/25/2003 6:56:28 AM PDT by adam_az (This space for rent.)
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To: ditin
I know what you're saying. But this is not a case of "any mortician" and "any dead bodies" as you put it. This is not your run-of-the-mill morgue and autopsy case. The unaltered faces of the Q & U bodies are evidence in a critical world-wide cause celebre. At least right off the bat.

What's to keep the critics from now claiming the original photos showed reconstructed faces also?

I repeat, WE know there's no attempt at deceit. But we're dealing with mindsets and motives of enemies (within and without) that are different from ours by a zillion miles.

Even with DNA, fingerprints and x-rays, this "putty reconstruction" will be seized upon and blown up to cast doubt on all other evidence.

Again, I say, dumb, not fatal, but dumb move.

Leni

49 posted on 07/25/2003 7:03:07 AM PDT by MinuteGal
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To: 12B
Don't know if anyone's mentioned this -- all the news commentators talk over and over about how gruesome the photos are.

Really? Doesn't seem so to me. I'm a usually squeamish female, but I've got no problem with watching the pictures as long as they want to show them.

Then of course they indicate how they need to edit the footage to protect us from the horror. Cripes!
50 posted on 07/25/2003 7:33:52 AM PDT by Amore (La vita e una cagna . . .)
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