Mick Hartley

Interesting comments from Abd Al-Jabbar Muhsen, Saddam’s former press secretary, in a recent interview on Iraqi TV:

Interviewer: Do you think Saddam Hussein expected that his regime would fall in such a terrible manner?

Abd Al-Jabbar Muhsen: He did not expect it. He relied on what the members of the Iraqi leadership told him – that the people are united around him.

Interviewer: Which members of the leadership – those who were applauding him?

Abd Al-Jabbar Muhsen: Yes. He relied on what the military kept telling him as well. In fact, this was one aspect of the tragedy. When a minister says to Saddam: “When my wife was sleeping, she saw the Prophet Muhammad, who asked her to tell Saddam Hussein that he is responsible for the ground, and the Prophet will take care of the skies. In other words, the Prophet would take care of the American planes and missiles, and the only thing Saddam Hussein had to do was to hold onto the land. […]

Our information minister said on day that the Americans eat Nestlé, while our soldiers eat bread, and so our soldiers will be victorious. This shows how naive the people in charge were. You cannot win a war with such naiveté.