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CNN Live At Daybreak
He is Talking Again
Aired August 01, 2003 - 05:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: He is talking again, at least it's said to be Saddam Hussein talking again. The Arab television network Al Jazeera is now broadcasting yet another audiotape supposedly from the deposed leader.
We want to get more on that.
Let's head live to Baghdad and Rym Brahimi -- what, this is the sixth audiotape so far?
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol. It's the sixth audiotape. I'd just like to mention, if you're hearing a voice behind me, it's the Friday sermon at the mosque right behind me, and many people right now would be either having lunch at home or listening to the sermons in various mosques across their cities. So it's not sure what they would have heard and if, indeed, they would have heard this latest audiotape released this time by Al Jazeera, a different Arabic satellite network than usually. That said, again, we have no independent confirmation that this is, indeed, the voice of Saddam Hussein.
What he does say, though, does sound like what Saddam Hussein would say. He calls, again, on people to continue their resistance, the fighting against the U.S. occupying forces. But this time he takes it a step further. He says that the situation will return to normal and he's calling on people to preserve the property of the state and the property of the formerly ruling Baath Party for when they return to power they will need it, and also saying that the occupying forces -- a very confident Saddam Hussein, I might add, saying that the occupying forces are soon going to surrender.
Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are confident that the occupying forces will collapse and surrender to the truth and the will of god and of the people. This will happen when the occupying forces are faced with the painful Mujahedeen for the perseverance of our people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRAHIMI: Saddam Hussein also saying that he has great faith that god will support him and his fighters. Also saying that the balance has shifted, the military balance, if you will, thanks to the blows that the Mujahedeen fighters are dealing the U.S. occupying forces -- Carol. COSTELLO: I wanted to ask you about those new pictures being circulated by U.S. troops there of Saddam Hussein. I don't -- you haven't looked at them, but Harris Whitbeck has. What do you hear from him?
BRAHIMI: Well, we know that basically they've been distributed only to certain U.S. troops. Not everybody has seen them. The U.S. troops that have received them are mainly the troops from the 4th Infantry Division, and they're mainly based in the north, as well as Task Force 20. Now, they're in charge of all those commando and some of the raids that have been conducted in search for Saddam Hussein.
Basically, the Pentagon saying that they show different states of Saddam, one of them with gray hair and a gray mustache; another one with longer hair. There's a sketch with him maybe with a beard, as well, and looking more haggard and worn out than he would be, you know, in the last of his public appearances, if you will, on television.
So basically it's just giving an idea, allowing maybe people who are on the hunt for Saddam Hussein to sort of expand their imagination and imagine what he might look like after four months on the run and not basically living in the same conditions that he used to live in, although he was also known even before the war to change locations very often, every three to four hours people would say at the time -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Rym Brahimi live from Baghdad this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 1, 2003 - 05:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: He is talking again, at least it's said to be Saddam Hussein talking again. The Arab television network Al Jazeera is now broadcasting yet another audiotape supposedly from the deposed leader.
We want to get more on that.
Let's head live to Baghdad and Rym Brahimi -- what, this is the sixth audiotape so far?
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol. It's the sixth audiotape. I'd just like to mention, if you're hearing a voice behind me, it's the Friday sermon at the mosque right behind me, and many people right now would be either having lunch at home or listening to the sermons in various mosques across their cities. So it's not sure what they would have heard and if, indeed, they would have heard this latest audiotape released this time by Al Jazeera, a different Arabic satellite network than usually. That said, again, we have no independent confirmation that this is, indeed, the voice of Saddam Hussein.
What he does say, though, does sound like what Saddam Hussein would say. He calls, again, on people to continue their resistance, the fighting against the U.S. occupying forces. But this time he takes it a step further. He says that the situation will return to normal and he's calling on people to preserve the property of the state and the property of the formerly ruling Baath Party for when they return to power they will need it, and also saying that the occupying forces -- a very confident Saddam Hussein, I might add, saying that the occupying forces are soon going to surrender.
Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are confident that the occupying forces will collapse and surrender to the truth and the will of god and of the people. This will happen when the occupying forces are faced with the painful Mujahedeen for the perseverance of our people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRAHIMI: Saddam Hussein also saying that he has great faith that god will support him and his fighters. Also saying that the balance has shifted, the military balance, if you will, thanks to the blows that the Mujahedeen fighters are dealing the U.S. occupying forces -- Carol. COSTELLO: I wanted to ask you about those new pictures being circulated by U.S. troops there of Saddam Hussein. I don't -- you haven't looked at them, but Harris Whitbeck has. What do you hear from him?
BRAHIMI: Well, we know that basically they've been distributed only to certain U.S. troops. Not everybody has seen them. The U.S. troops that have received them are mainly the troops from the 4th Infantry Division, and they're mainly based in the north, as well as Task Force 20. Now, they're in charge of all those commando and some of the raids that have been conducted in search for Saddam Hussein.
Basically, the Pentagon saying that they show different states of Saddam, one of them with gray hair and a gray mustache; another one with longer hair. There's a sketch with him maybe with a beard, as well, and looking more haggard and worn out than he would be, you know, in the last of his public appearances, if you will, on television.
So basically it's just giving an idea, allowing maybe people who are on the hunt for Saddam Hussein to sort of expand their imagination and imagine what he might look like after four months on the run and not basically living in the same conditions that he used to live in, although he was also known even before the war to change locations very often, every three to four hours people would say at the time -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Rym Brahimi live from Baghdad this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
