Wed Site Offers Saddam Uniform For Sale

A U.S. auction house is trying to sell one of Saddam Hussein's military uniforms online, calling it an "ultimate artefact" of the U.S. war in Iraq.

Manion's International Auction House (

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) is offering the olive green dress uniform, complete with Saddam's special rank on its shoulder straps, at a starting price of $5,000 (2,915 pounds), but expects it to sell for much more.

"We have only seen one other Hussein uniform here at Manion's, and it realized over $20,000 at auction," the auctioneer says on its Web site.

The company says the uniform was obtained by a soldier in the U.S. army's Third Infantry Division after American troops seized Baghdad airport in April 2003.

According to the military orders governing U.S. forces in Iraq, soldiers are forbidden from taking any artefacts or souvenirs from the country except in very rare circumstances, a U.S. military spokeswoman said on Saturday.

Manion's said it would give a proportion of the proceeds from the sale to charity. Bidding closes on December 1. There have been no bids so far.