Prior to his execution on December 30, 2006, former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's death was reported as a strong possibility by various Western analysts and officials, after a bombing attack on Baghdad at the start of the 2003 Iraq War, March 20, 2003, and subsequently after a second attempt in the closing days of the war. However, through November of that year, the United States Department of Defense insisted Saddam was still alive. This opinion was vindicated on December 13, 2003 when Saddam was captured near his hometown of Tikrit, in Iraq.
Regardless of whether Saddam had in fact been killed, attempts by both sides (Iraqi, as well as its Coalition opponents) to convince the Iraqi people that he was alive or dead were part of the "psychological warfare" or "war propaganda." In particular, the Coalition "shock and awe" strategy attempted to disrupt command and control of the enemy forces. If Iraqi soldiers were convinced of Saddam's death, it could lead to increased desertion or surrender, while if Iraqi people were convinced he was alive, it might encourage resistance against the invasion, out of both loyalty and fear.