BASRA, Iraq, March 16 (Reuters) – Capsized in a river in southern Iraq, the rusting wreck of a yacht that belonged to Saddam Hussein serves as a stark reminder of his iron-fisted rule that ended with the U.S.-led invasion 20 years in the past.
The 121-metre (396 ft) “al-Mansur”, an emblem of Saddam’s wealth and energy when it was constructed within the Nineteen Eighties, is at present a vacation spot for sightseers and fisherman who clamber aboard the wreck to picnic and drink tea.
“When it was owned by the previous president, nobody might come near it,” mentioned fisherman Hussein Sabahi, who enjoys ending a protracted day on the river with a cup of tea aboard the wreck.
“I can’t consider that this belonged to Saddam and now I am the one transferring round it,” he mentioned.
Saddam issued orders for the yacht, which he by no means boarded, to go away its mooring at Umm Qasr to Basra for safekeeping a couple of weeks after the invasion received underway on March 20, 2003.
But it surely was focused by U.S.-led forces, and later capsized within the Shatt al-Arab waterway because it fell into decay.
[1/4] An aerial view of the ‘Al-Mansur’ yacht, as soon as belonging to former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, which has been mendacity on the water mattress for years within the Shatt al-Arab waterway, in Basra, Iraq March 9, 2023.REUTERS/Mohammed Aty
Within the turmoil that adopted Saddam’s downfall, the yacht was stripped naked and looted, with every thing from its chandeliers and furnishings to elements of its steel construction eliminated.
One in every of three yachts owned by Saddam, the yacht might accommodate as much as 200 company and was outfitted with a helipad.
U.S. officers estimated in 2003 that Saddam and his household could have amassed as much as $40 billion in ill-gotten funds.
One other of his yachts has been became a resort in Basra.
Although some Iraqis say the wreck must be preserved, successive governments haven’t allotted funds to get better it.
“This yacht is sort of a valuable jewel, like a uncommon masterpiece you retain at dwelling,” mentioned Zahi Moussa, a naval captain who works on the Iraqi ministry of transport.
“We really feel unhappy that it seems to be like this.”
Writing by Seham Eloraby; Enhancing by Tom Perry, William Maclean
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