Saddam 'surfaces' again

2003-07-29 21:13

Tikrit, Iraq - Saddam Hussein on Tuesday taunted US soldiers anxious to catch or kill the fugitive dictator and put an end to a daring insurgency campaign which threatens the coalition's rebuilding efforts.

Saddam emerged in elusive fashion as Al-Arabiya satellite TV aired what it said was a new audiotape of the most-wanted man in Iraq mourning his sons Uday and Qusay, killed in a one-sided battle by US forces in the northern city of Mosul exactly one week ago.

"We thank God for honouring us with their martyrdom for His sake" after a "valiant battle with the enemy lasting six hours," said the baritone voice purported to be that of Saddam, the man with a $25m price on his head.

It was the fifth tape attributed to Saddam since his overthrow by US-led coalition forces on April 9. Most of the previous tapes aired on Arab TV stations were deemed authentic by US intelligence.

Beyond Saddam

Looking beyond the Saddam-era, Iraq's 25-member Governing Council chose a rotating nine-member presidency, designed to represent the nation's rich pool of ethnic groups and persuade them the executive voice was one for all.

The council, unveiled on July 13, named a nine-member rotating presidency, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) spokesperson Hoshyar Zebari told reporters.

The nine will include five Shi'ite Muslim, two Sunni, and two Kurdish members of the 25-strong council, inaugurated under the auspices of the US-led occupation administration earlier this month.

The council will decide the order in which the nine will serve on Wednesday, Zebari said.

It might choose the line-up based on alphabetical order, he added, in a reflection of the delicate balance in managing relations among the fractious ethnic groups.

Hunt continues

In the latest chapter of the hunt for Saddam, dozens of US troops backed by air support raided at least two homes at 04:00 (00:00 GMT) and arrested four Ba'athists, including a possible brigadier general, in the ousted president's hometown of Tikrit.

A military spokesperson in Baghdad backed off from a claim he made earlier on Tuesday that one of the men was a bodyguard for Saddam.

The pre-dawn raid came as US deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage appeared to signal that only clean surrender could guarantee Saddam's survival and that he should be killed without hesitation if capturing him alive meant risking the lives of US soldiers.

"If Saddam Hussein could be captured safely, without any harm to US service persons, that would be great," Armitage told CNN television late on Monday. "If there is a question of harm being done to US servicemen, then he should be killed."

The remarks reflected the aggressive US tactics on the ground that saw Saddam's two sons, Uday and Qusay, die last Tuesday as a volley of heat-seeking missiles hit their hideout in Mosul.

The deaths of the two brothers, who personified the cruelty of Ba'ath party's 35-year reign, was considered an intelligence breakthrough by the Americans, leading to an intensified search for the deposed strongman and a flood of tips.

Force

But it also prompted questions over the US military's use of force that have dogged commanders since the heavy handed assault eliminated the feared and hated sons.

The raid, in which four US soldiers were lightly injured, infuriated many Iraqis, who despite their loathing for the brutal brothers wanted to see them captured alive and tried for war crimes.

US troops have been under a steady stream of fire from guerrilla insurgents in Iraq ever since major combat activities were declared over by US President George W Bush on May 1.

At least 50 American soldiers have been killed in the volley of attacks, including 28 in July, by far the bloodiest month since the war.

Hoping to ease its burden, the United States unveiled a list of 30 nations that have agreed to participate in an international stabilisation force for Iraq, even without a specific UN mandate demanded by some.

But detractors of the US administration point out the bulk of peace-keeping duties will still be shouldered by the American forces, who are increasingly harried and under fire.

- AFX