The United States expectsto pay the full $30 million reward to the informant whose tipallowed US soldiers to find and kill former Iraqi leaderSaddam Hussein's sons Uday and Qusay, a senior US officialsaid today.
"We would expect to pay the whole reward," a senior StateDepartment official told reporters. Under a State Departmentprogram Washington offered up to $15 million for informationleading to the death or capture of each of the sons.
The United States has also offered up to $25 million forinformation leading to the capture or death of their father,who was toppled in a US-led war this spring and is believedby US officials to be at large in northern Iraq.
Under the US Rewards for Justice program, people whoprovide such information may be eligible for a cash reward,protection of their identities and relocation with theirfamilies.
Asked if the United States might consider allowing theinformant, whom US officials have declined to identify, toemigrate to the United States, the US official replied: "I'msure that all that will be considered if it's appropriate."
According to the Rewards for Justice Web site, in the pastnine years the United States has paid more than $9.75 millionto 24 people who provided credible information that put"terrorists" behind bars or prevented acts of internationalterrorism.