Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf

Al-Sahhaf was born in Hilla, near Karbala, to a Shi'ite Arab family. After studying journalism^[2] at Baghdad University, he graduated with a master's degree in English literature.^[3] He planned to become an English teacher^[2] before joining the Arab 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 that Uday 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 in Baghdad during the 2003 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 to CNN, 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 for infidels, to describe the American forces in Iraq. There was debate in the Arabic-language media about the exact meaning of the word; most observers concluded that it meant "bloodsucking insect". In an August 2003 interview on Abu Dhabi TV, al-Sahhaf said ‘ulūj was an archaic term attributed to Umar 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 Baghdad was being destroyed around him".^[15]

On 25 June 2003, British newspaper Daily 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 through Abu Dhabi TV. The next day, al-Sahhaf recorded an interview for Riyadh-based news channel al-Arabiya.^[19] He was reportedly paid as much as US$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 the insurgency 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.^[20][21] He was not charged for his role in Saddam Hussein's government.^[21]

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 by The Times that al-Sahhaf was living in the United Arab Emirates.^[22]

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