Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf

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Former Iraqi Information Minister

Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf (Arabic محمد سعيد الصحاف also Mohammed Said al-Sahhaf) (born 1940) is a former Iraqi diplomat and politician. He came to wide prominence around the world during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, during which he was the Information Minister of the country.

1 Before the Iraq war
2 During the Iraq war
3 Post-war life
4 Other "Baghdad Bobs"
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Before the Iraq war

Al-Sahaf was born in Hilla, near Karbala. He joined the Ba'ath Party in 1963 and served as Ambassador to Sweden, Burma, the United Nations and Italy, before returning in Iraq to serve as Foreign Minister in 1992. 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 that of his predecessor, Tariq Aziz. At least one report suggests that Uday Hussein, son of the President Saddam Hussein, was responsible for the removal.

[edit] During the Iraq war

Al-Sahaf is known for his daily press briefings in Baghdad during the 2003 Iraq War. His colorful appearances caused him to be nicknamed Baghdad Bob (in the style of "Hanoi Hannah" or "Seoul City Sue") by commentators in the United States and Comical Ali (an allusion to Chemical Ali, the nickname of former Iraqi Defence Minister Ali Hassan al-Majid) by commentators in the United Kingdom.

On April 7, 2003, Al-Sahaf claimed that there were no American troops in Baghdad, and that the Americans were committing suicide by the hundreds at the city's gates. At that time, American tanks were patrolling the streets only a few hundred meters from the location where the press conference was held. His last public appearance as Information Minister was on April 8, 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".

He gained something of a cult following in the west, appearing on T-shirts, cartoons, and from internet phenomena came satirical websites. One such site featured sound bites of the minister, as well as Photoshop-type doctored pictures of him on the Star Wars Death Star, at The Battle of Waterloo and at the D-Day landings, in all cases maintaining that "everything is just fine."[1] His image was also used by fans of the St Louis Blues hockey club who, after a win over their arch-rivals the Detroit Red Wings, played a message on the video monitor at Savvis Center of al-Sahaf dressed in a Red Wings sweater saying that "the Red Wings dynasty has not fallen! All is well!" ^{[citation needed]}

Although appearing as deceptions to the Western public, the descriptions uttered by al-Sahaf reflected what Saddam Hussein and his inner circle believed [2], and were well received in parts of the Arab world most fiercely opposed to the war. Thus the quick fall of Baghdad was to some a total surprise; Syrian television did not broadcast images of the events. Many in Arab countries who were interviewed later were incredulous and were forced to conclude that Sahaf and their own media had been lying all along, comparable to a similar watershed event that came out of the Arab-Israeli wars several decades earlier.

[edit] Post-war life

On June 25, 2003, the London newspaper The Daily Mirror reported that al-Sahaf had been captured by coalition troops at a roadblock in Baghdad. The report was not confirmed by military authorities and was denied by al-Sahaf's family through Abu Dhabi TV. The next day al-Sahaf himself recorded an interview for the Dubai-based al-Arabiya news channel. Al-Sahaf said that he had surrendered to US forces and had been interrogated by them. He was reportedly paid as much as $200,000 for the television interview, during which 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 and answered only "history will tell" when asked if video clips purporting to prove that Saddam Hussein was alive were genuine, amid speculation at that time that Hussein had been killed during the war.

His fame quickly evaporated as the war continued into the "insurgency" phase; from the summer of 2003 onward, he faded from the public spotlight, and is no longer a figure in the war.

Although questioned by American authorities, al-Sahaf was released, and there has been no suggestion of charging or detaining him for his role in the Saddam Hussein government. He is now living in the United Arab Emirates with his family.

When asked where he had gotten his information he replied, "authentic sources—many authentic sources". [3] He pointed out that, "he was a professional, doing his job".

[edit] Other "Baghdad Bobs"

There are those that suggest that the same mentality of denying everything in contrast to reality can be attributed to more Arab spokesmen for example working for Hezbollah [4]. This also relates to the claims of U.S. and British support also known as "The Big Lie" of Nasser and Hussein during the Six Day War.