It was widely predicted in the Western press that Saddam would seek shelter from Sunni supporters and on December 13, 2003, he was captured in a raid on the village of ad-Dawr about 15 km south of Tikrit.
Den vestlige presse forudså at Saddam ville søge tilflugt blandt sine sunnimuslimske støtter, og 13. december 2003 blev han fanget i landsbyen ad-Dawr ca 15 km syd for Tikrit.