Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf | |
|---|---|
 Al-Sahhaf on state television in March 2003 | |
| Minister of Information | |
| In office 2001 – 9 April 2003 | |
| President | Saddam Hussein |
| Preceded by | Humam Abd al-Khaliq Abd al-Ghafur |
| Succeeded by | Ministry dissolved |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 6 June 1992 – 23 April 2001 | |
| President | Saddam Hussein |
| Preceded by | Tariq Aziz |
| Succeeded by | Naji Sabri |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf 1940 (age 85–86) |
| Party | Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region |
| Alma mater | Baghdad University |
| Nicknames |
|
Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf (Arabic:محمد سعيد الصحاف;Muḥammad Saʿīd Al-Ṣaḥḥāf; born 1940[1]) is an Iraqi former diplomat and politician. He served as Iraq'sminister of foreign affairs from 1992 to 2001 and later became the Iraqiminister of information. Al-Sahhaf came to worldwide prominence during the2003 invasion of Iraq when he acted as a spokesman forSaddam Hussein's government. He has been nicknamedBaghdad Bob andComical Ali due to his colorful and blatantly inaccurate media pronouncements.
Al-Sahhaf was born inHilla, nearKarbala, to aShi'iteArab family. After studying journalism[2] atBaghdad University, he graduated with a master's degree inEnglish literature.[3] He planned to become an English teacher[2] before joining theArab Socialist Ba'ath Party in 1963. In the early days of Ba'athist governance, he made regular announcements about recently executed Iraqis on state television.[4]
Al-Sahhaf served as an ambassador to Sweden, Burma, the United Nations and Italy before returning to Iraq to serve as foreign minister in 1992.[2] The reasons for his removal as foreign minister in April 2001 are unclear, but his achievements in the position were often claimed to be less satisfactory than those of his predecessor,Tariq Aziz. At least one report suggests thatUday Hussein, Saddam Hussein's son, was responsible for the removal.[2]
At some point after al-Sahhaf was removed from his post as minister of foreign affairs in 2001, Saddam appointed him as minister of information.[5]
Al-Sahhaf became known for his daily press briefings inBaghdad during the2003 invasion of Iraq.[6]
At the beginning of the Iraq War, al-Sahhaf made the following remarks about American troops: "'Our initial assessment is that they will all die'".[7] On one occasion, he spoke of the disastrous outcomes of previous foreign attempts to invade Iraq, citing an unspecified Western history book and inviting the journalists present to come to his home to read it.[8]
According toCNN, al-Sahhaf described American and British leaders as "'an international gang of criminal bastards,' 'blood-sucking bastards,' ignorant imperialists, losers and fools". He also called "the U.S. and British forces flocks of sheep doomed to die in Iraq" and compared them "to a snake slithering through the desert that will be chopped into pieces".[5]
Al-Sahhaf frequently used the word‘ulūj (علوج), an obscure and particularly insulting term forinfidels, to describe the American forces in Iraq. There was debate in theArabic-language media about the exact meaning of the word; most observers concluded that it meant "bloodsucking insect". In an August 2003 interview onAbu Dhabi TV, al-Sahhaf said‘ulūj was an archaic term attributed toUmar ibn al-Khattāb.[9]
Al-Sahhaf once said, "'Baghdad is safe. The battle is still going on. Their infidels are committing suicide by the hundreds on the gates of Baghdad. Don't believe those liars'". As he said those words, Iraqi soldiers were running for cover nearby.[10] As American troops surrounded Baghdad, he said, "'There are no American infidels in Baghdad. Never!'"[7] Al-Sahhaf also told reporters that "the Americans would find their 'tombs' in Baghdad".[10]
Al-Sahhaf's last public appearance as information minister was on 8 April 2003, when he said that the Americans "are going to surrender or be burned in their tanks. They will surrender; it is they who will surrender".[8] When asked where he obtained his information, he replied, "Authentic sources—many authentic sources". He added that he "was a professional, doing his job".[11] On 9 April 2003, Baghdad was formally occupied by coalition forces.[12][13][14] Al-Sahhaf "kept broadcasting until the last minute while Bagdad was being destroyed around him".[15]
Al-Sahhaf's colorful media appearances caused him to be nicknamed "Baghdad Bob"[6] (in the style of previous propagandists with geographical aliases—some of them alliterative, such as "Tokyo Rose" and "Hanoi Hannah" and "Seoul City Sue") by commentators in the United States. He was nicknamed "Comical Ali" by commentators in the United Kingdom; commentators in Italy similarly nicknamed him "Alì il Comico". These nicknames were given because he made statements about the conflict that were wildly at odds with reality. Western media treated him as a laughingstock during the initial stages of theIraq War.[16]
US intelligence analysts later concluded that al-Sahhaf confidently made false statements about the Iraq War because he genuinely believed what he was saying. Army Col. Steve Boltz, the deputy chief of intelligence for V Corps, theorized that because Saddam's regime was known for frequently punishing those who delivered bad news, military officers would fabricate reports about the battlefield situation. This systemic self-deception within the Iraqi hierarchy led to a surprising lack of awareness when the Americans entered the capital, with some captured Iraqi officers later admitting that they had no idea that the US forces had been so close.[17]
A group of Americans from the state of New York created a website called "We Love the Iraqi Information Minister". The website included soundbites of al-Sahhaf's remarks. It became an "internet phenomenon".[2]
On 25 June 2003, British newspaper theDaily Mirror reported that al-Sahhaf had been captured by coalition troops at a roadblock in Baghdad.[6] The report was not confirmed by military authorities and was denied by al-Sahhaf's family throughAbu Dhabi TV. The next day, al-Sahhaf recorded an interview forRiyadh-based news channelal-Arabiya.[18] He was reportedly paid as much asUS$200,000 for the television interview. During the interview, he appeared very withdrawn, in contrast with the bombastic persona he projected during the war. Many of his answers consisted of a simple "yes" or "no". He refused to speculate on the causes of the downfall of the Iraqi government.
Al-Sahhaf's fame quickly evaporated as the war continued into theinsurgency phase; from the middle of 2003 onward, he faded from the public spotlight, and was no longer a figure in the war. Al-Sahhaf said that he had surrendered to United States forces, had been interrogated by them, and had been released.[19][20] He was not charged for his role in Saddam Hussein's government.[20]
In January 2004,The Guardian reported that al-Sahhaf had been hired by Abu Dhabi TV to provide expert commentary on Saddam.[10]
In March 2008, it was reported byThe Times that al-Sahhaf was living in theUnited Arab Emirates.[21]
Born 1940.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)| Government offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Iraqi Foreign Minister 1992–2001 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Iraqi Information Minister 2001–2003 | Ministry dissolved |
| International | |
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| National | |
