“In recent weeks, the search for Hussein and dozens of his senior associates and mid-level loyalists has intensified here in his home province of Salahuddin, northwest of Baghdad. Spurred by reports from local informants and intercepted telephone conversations, some U.S. officials say they now believe that the fugitive former president and his closest henchmen may be filtering back here for the protection afforded by a vast network of tribal and family connections.

Almost every raid, officers say, turns up new scraps of evidence — photos, documents with satellite telephone numbers, fake identity cards. Informants — ranging from powerful sheiks to poor farmers — whisper tips, often risking lives and livelihoods. U.S. intelligence units glean tidbits from telephone intercepts, aerial surveillance and gumshoe detective work.” Washington Post