TV station airs 'Saddam tape' mourning sons

2003-07-29 18:35

Cairo - In a new audiotape attributed to Saddam Hussein and broadcast on Arab satellite station al-Arabiya, the former leader acknowledged the death of his two sons last week.

"Even if Saddam Hussein has 100 children other than Uday and Qusay, Saddam Hussein would offer them the same way," he said on the tape.

The two were killed in a gunfight with US soldiers last week.

"Thank God for what he destined for us, and honoured us with their martyrdom for his sake," Saddam said.

The broadcast, monitored in Cairo, was the second tape attributed to Saddam in just over a week.

Condolences

Saddam began the tape with a verse from the Qu'ran and then paid condolences to Iraqis for the deaths of his sons.

But he also said the deaths were "good news, that is the hope of every fighter for God's sake, as another group of noble souls of the martyrs have ascended to their creator."

He said those killed in the gunfight would be martyrs in heaven.

"Uday, Qusay, and Mustafa died in Jihad field ... in a brave battle with the enemy" that lasted for six hours, the voice on the audiotape said.

Mustafa is Qusay's teenage son.

"The aggression armies surrounding them with all kinds of weapons and ground troops were not able to conquer them until they used their warplanes on the house that they were in," he said.

Saddam said his sons died "for the sake God, the nation, the people."

The voice on the tape said the tape was made in July 2003. The exact date was not clear.

Last week, the United States said that the voice on another audiotape broadcast by Al-Arabiya on July 23 was likely that of Saddam. Uday, 39, and Qusay, 37, were killed July 22 in a gunbattle with US troops in a villa in the northern city of Mosul, directed there by an Iraqi tipster.

Besides Mustafa, another Iraqi in the house was also killed.

- AFX