A voice purported to be Saddam Hussain’s aired on Al Jazeera yesterday saying he is still in Iraq and vowing “days of hardship and trouble for the invaders.” Without mentioning President George W. Bush, the speaker also challenged the stated U.S. reason for going to war: “Where are these weapons of mass destruction?” The broadcast coincided with an escalation in fighting, with 18 U.S. troops wounded in an attack on a U.S. base and 11 Iraqis and an American killed elsewhere. A U.S. intelligence official said the CIA is still reviewing the tape and cannot verify its authenticity. But the sudden appearance of Saddam’s alleged voice – coming at a time of spiralling attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq – threatened to energise anti-U.S. forces and worsen the violence. “Oh brothers and sisters, I relay to you good news: Jihad cells and brigades have been formed,” the speaker on the audiotape said, addressing the Iraqi people. Full Story
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