Quality time for a brutal dictator

BAGHDAD - Iraqis saw Saddam Hussein portrayed in all kinds of guises during his brutal rule: the bold statesman, fearless soldier, wise scholar. But never before have they glimpsed Saddam the truffle-hunter.

A set of home videos shot by Saddam's personal cameraman gives an unprecedented look at the dictator as he spends quality time with his wife and children.

One video shows Saddam, sporting a brown trilby and sunglasses, leading a family expedition to the desert to search for truffles.

His wife, Sajida, follows with the couple's daughters. They scamper around, digging in the sand with special hoes.

Saddam snorts in disgust when he unearths a tiny specimen. "Do you think Saddam would bother with something so small?" he bellows.

The video is dated March 15, 1990 - just months before Saddam ordered his troops to invade Kuwait.

The eight tapes, obtained by Reuters from a former employee of one of Saddam's inner circle, show a variety of family occasions: birthdays, an engagement party, a hunting trip, and even a visit to Egypt.

Baghdad video stores have been doing a roaring trade selling looted copies of the tapes, but they contain nothing shocking - no footage of the wild parties enjoyed by Saddam's notorious sons, Uday and Qusay.

However, a few jarring details show that this was no ordinary family. At Saddam's birthday party, Qusay sports a silver pistol tucked into the waistband of his trousers.

Saddam's sons-in-law, Saddam Kamel and Hussein Kamel, are always shown wearing military fatigues - even on the truffle hunt.

Both are now dead. Five years after a video shows them standing round the birthday cake with Saddam, he ordered their murder in revenge for their shortlived defection to Jordan.

- REUTERS

Herald Feature: Iraq