"A man who claims to be Saddam Hussein's sorcerer predicts the
dictator will be found dead.
The 62-year-old says troops will find his corpse in Dhuluaiyah, a
village 55 miles north of Baghdad.
The magician has asked not to be identified because he says Saddam
is still alive.
He is so scared he won't even pronounce his former boss's name, and
said: "That man is still alive, so I'm afraid. I helped him, his
sons, his ministers, his wife, his cousins, but I can't mention
names. When he is dead I can talk about him."
According to the magician and several others interviewed in
Baghdad, Saddam was a firm believer in magic, and even applied
himself, with modest success, to "studying the sands" and summoning
genies.
He consulted frequently with two magicians from Iraq, one from
Turkey, one from India, a French Arab and a beautiful Jewish witch
from Morocco, the wizard says.
Saddam is still protected, he says, by a pair of golden statues
imbued with magic. The deposed president speaks daily with the king
and queen of genies - the same ones who provided the information on
his whereabouts."