Iraqi Official Threatens 'Non-Conventional' Attacks
Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2003 11:52 am
Friday, April 04, 2003
Iraq's information minister threatened coalition troops with "non-conventional" attacks on Friday, possibly as soon as nightfall, after allied troops tightened their grip on the area surrounding Baghdad.
And in a tape broadcast on Iraqi television, a man purporting to be Saddam Hussein, in full military uniform, read a statement calling on Iraqis to strike at coalition forces at the gates of the capital. The statement referred to the March 23 downing of a U.S. helicopter, which means the statement was taped after the war began.
"Perhaps you remember the valiant Iraqi peasant and how he shot down an American Apache with an old weapon," Saddam said. "Hit them with force, resist them, o people of Baghdad, whenever they advance upon your city, and remain true to your principles, your faith and your honor."
The dictator's only other appearances have been in regime-provided videotapes that could have been made before the war began.
Earlier in the day, U.S. forces seized control of the Iraqi capital's airport -- about 10 miles southwest of Baghdad -- after an all-night battle, and U.S. military officials said 2,500 of Saddam's elite Republican Guard had surrendered. Central Command said the coalition now has 6,000 Iraqi troops in custody.
To the southeast, U.S. Marines said the Nida division of the Iraqi Republican Guard had been defeated.
Thousands of civilians have started to flee Baghdad, anticipating a siege or a battle for their city.
In the face of the allied juggernaut, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, Iraq's information minister, sent a threat to coalition forces.
"Tonight we are going to commit untraditional attacks," he said during a press conference Friday. "We will commit a non-conventional act on them, not necessarily military.
"We will do something that will be a great example for these mercenaries."
Al-Sahhaf described the threats as a "kind of martyrdom operations" and insisted Iraq will not use weapons of mass destruction. But he added that the airport, which he described as an "isolated island," will be a "graveyard" for Americans.
Al-Sahhaf said it will be "difficult for the U.S. forces that are surrounded in Saddam airport to come out alive."
Al-Sahhaf's proclamations have been notorious since the war started. He has told the media that the Iraqis have been slaughtering coalition forces and has insisted that Saddam's regime is in full control of Iraq, despite all the reports coming directly from embedded reporters and U.S. military officials that the situation is exactly the opposite.
Iraq's information minister threatened coalition troops with "non-conventional" attacks on Friday, possibly as soon as nightfall, after allied troops tightened their grip on the area surrounding Baghdad.
And in a tape broadcast on Iraqi television, a man purporting to be Saddam Hussein, in full military uniform, read a statement calling on Iraqis to strike at coalition forces at the gates of the capital. The statement referred to the March 23 downing of a U.S. helicopter, which means the statement was taped after the war began.
"Perhaps you remember the valiant Iraqi peasant and how he shot down an American Apache with an old weapon," Saddam said. "Hit them with force, resist them, o people of Baghdad, whenever they advance upon your city, and remain true to your principles, your faith and your honor."
The dictator's only other appearances have been in regime-provided videotapes that could have been made before the war began.
Earlier in the day, U.S. forces seized control of the Iraqi capital's airport -- about 10 miles southwest of Baghdad -- after an all-night battle, and U.S. military officials said 2,500 of Saddam's elite Republican Guard had surrendered. Central Command said the coalition now has 6,000 Iraqi troops in custody.
To the southeast, U.S. Marines said the Nida division of the Iraqi Republican Guard had been defeated.
Thousands of civilians have started to flee Baghdad, anticipating a siege or a battle for their city.
In the face of the allied juggernaut, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, Iraq's information minister, sent a threat to coalition forces.
"Tonight we are going to commit untraditional attacks," he said during a press conference Friday. "We will commit a non-conventional act on them, not necessarily military.
"We will do something that will be a great example for these mercenaries."
Al-Sahhaf described the threats as a "kind of martyrdom operations" and insisted Iraq will not use weapons of mass destruction. But he added that the airport, which he described as an "isolated island," will be a "graveyard" for Americans.
Al-Sahhaf said it will be "difficult for the U.S. forces that are surrounded in Saddam airport to come out alive."
Al-Sahhaf's proclamations have been notorious since the war started. He has told the media that the Iraqis have been slaughtering coalition forces and has insisted that Saddam's regime is in full control of Iraq, despite all the reports coming directly from embedded reporters and U.S. military officials that the situation is exactly the opposite.
