On December 13, 2003, Saddam Hussein, the former dictator of Iraq, was captured after spending nine months on the run. Hussein had spent twenty-four years in office as a member of the Baath party and dictator of Iraq, and his police force was well-known for committing several violations of human rights.

The military powers of the United States invaded Iraq in 1991, just shortly after Saddam invaded Kuwait. Although the U.S. was successful in causing Saddam’s army to remove themselves from the area, Saddam remained in power. In March 2003, after continuous allegations that Iraq had built weapons of mass destruction, the United States invaded Iraq with the main focus on removing Saddam from his leadership position. Many Americans say that President George W. Bush was finishing the task that his father and former president George H. W. Bush left unfinished when the U.S. invaded Kuwait in 1991.

After the U.S. invasion in March, Saddam went into hiding. On December 13, 2003, Saddam Hussein was found in a deep underground hole. According to U.S. soldiers, he did not resist arrest.

On November 5, 2004, Saddam was found guilty of crimes against humanity. He was sentenced to death. Naturally, the former dictator of Iraq appealed the conviction, but his appeal was unsuccessful. On December 30, 2006, Saddam Hussein was executed. He was sixty-nine years old.