Posted on 03/25/2003 10:13:58 PM PST by gaucho
Baghdad, Iraq: Iraqi Satellite Channel Television in Arabic 0807 GMT 24 Mar 03 [Speech by Iraqi President Saddam Husayn on 24 March; place not given -- live or recorded]
In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate:
"When comes the help of God and Victory and thou dost see the people enter God's religion in crowds Celebrate the praises and of thy lord, and pray for his forgiveness. For he is Oft-returning (in grace and mercy) [Koranic verse].
O great people and stalwart mujadin of our brave Armed Forces, peace be upon you.
We and all of this honest, heroic, mujahid, and steadfast people know how much we have tried to "Repulse evil with that which is best" [Koranic verse], to the extent that there were those who blamed us or were surprised at the level of good patience we exhibited in confronting adversities generated by those with ulterior motives, as well at our responsiveness to the things we fulfilled.
This is although, to some extent, such responsiveness might be interpreted as weakness or as similar to the stands of those who did not realize the nature of the goals of the US and British administrations supported by the accursed Zionism. They have daily tried to undermine this responsiveness with new pretexts since the cease-fire in 1991 and up to the war that has started now once again, on a broad scale, not to mention the embargo. This war produced the current decisive days in which the mujahidin and the entire people of Iraq are showing extreme courage, for which they deserve God's satisfaction and victory over the enemies of God and humanity, just as God promised true believers.
As steadfast mujahid believers, it is our right and duty to be proud of the unbelievable epic they are making with their precious blood today and before.
I say that we have always responded to even the evil ones' illegitimate and unfair requests and demands. We did so hoping that the world would wake up and lift the embargo on our people, thus avoiding the evils of war.
And after they had no pretexts or cover left, the aggressors and occupiers came with their grim exposed faces, baring their teeth of evil, and showing their real truth, which we know about them and about their intentions as they are.
O brothers, you know that our country's policy is to avoid evil, but when evil comes to us using the logic of treachery and destruction, there must be a stand of faith and jihad that honors those who adopt it and pleases God Almighty.
Here you are today, O zealous Iraqi men, glorious Iraqi women, and honorable men of our valiant mujahid Armed Forces. You are taking a stand that pleases every friend and all believers and frustrates the aggression and all nonbelievers. It is a stand with which you will achieve victory over your enemies and inflict the heaviest losses on them, God willing.
You will achieve a clear and final victory, after you have relied on God Almighty. The aggression and injustice have become clear to the near and far. Those who were misled by the enemies on the international level during and after 1991 have woken up with the public reawakening of humanity and the sons of our nation.
Victory is near, bring the good tidings to the persevering believers.
O Iraqis, these are your decisive days.
O Iraqis, strike now as you are ordered by your God. Strike over the necks, strike their fingertips, and bring the good tidings to those who persevere.
In these battles, and during these decisive days, the aggressors' attempts did not come through planes and missiles, like they did previously in their air attacks. This time, the enemy has sent forward its ground units. The enemy has therefore come to occupy your land.
The Americans and the British, in most cases and even in this battle, avoid clashes that place them within range of our weapons. They let their planes fight for them more than personal weapons or weapons that are equivalent to ours in general.
However, this time these forces entered our homeland's territories, into which they made a push. Wherever they conducted an incursion into our territories, leaving the desert behind them, they are embroiled. They will find Iraqis surrounding them, directing their gunfire at them. The party, the people's masses, the tribes, the Saddam Fedayeen, the national security men, along with the valiant Armed Forces, have performed commendably, something that is commensurate with their praiseworthy traits.
O Iraqis, after the enemy belittled your standing, after their standing suffered a setback, and after they came to you over land, as is the situation now, this attempt is regarded as the ideal situation, compared to what the enemy did in the past, in which we can inflict the greatest losses on it. Yes, the enemy has become embroiled in the sacred land of Iraq, which is being defended by a great people and an army tested in the combat arenas.
So, O my dearest, strike it. O heroic mujahidin, strike your enemy with strength and accuracy. O pedigreed Iraqis, strike them with the strength of the spirit of jihad, which you are carrying. Exhaust the enemy to the point where it becomes unable to continue to commit further crimes against you, against your nation, and against humanity. Then you will reap stability and pride along with victory.
As for our righteous martyrs, paradise will be their prize. As for your reward, you will enjoy the pride that will achieve God's satisfaction. The present and glorious history will be elevated by this pride. The lesson that you will teach the enemy will make it hesitate. As a matter of fact, it will rob the enemy of the audacity to encroach upon you, upon your nation, or upon mankind once again.
Strike it. For good, and good people will feel relieved by the blows that you deal to it, and evil will be shaken and finished off. Moreover, the mothers, fathers, wives, and children, who experienced panic due to the aggression, along with all believers and well-intentioned people, will be delighted. Your actions and jihad will exhaust the aggressive ones.
O Arabs, O believers worldwide, O comrades in right and enemies of evil and falsehood, we relay to you the glad tidings regarding the things that God has bestowed on us in the course of our struggle against foolish people, the enemies of mankind. For God has let them down, granted His soldiers victory, and humiliated them [the enemies], and will humiliate and disgrace them further, God willing.
God has honored his good believers. We adhere to our pledge before God Almighty and humanity. God is our witness in the heavens and the believers are our witness on earth that we will sacrifice our nearest and dearest to satisfy God so that he might support his soldiers. We will fight, relying on the Almighty, to humiliate the oppressors, the aggressors, the tyrants, and the arrogant ones and to disperse them and return their spite to their own chests.
We and God's soldiers are on our own land. We have relied on God and have prepared what is necessary to realize this.
Under various names and descriptions, the Iraqi mujahidin are inflicting serious losses on the enemy. The enemy wanted to make the war short to extricate itself from its predicament but we hope, God willing, to make it long and heavy for it. It will be bogged down in the quagmire until it is stifled and until it is defeated in panic, defeated, cursed, and routed by the faithful determination of our men, who are supported by God Almighty and who God wanted to be his means on earth so that those who betrayed God and man will wake up.
It is my duty to salute in your name, O zealous Iraqi men and women, your Armed Forces and all the resisting forces, each according to his assignment and his title. While mentioning the names of the heroic formations and the names of their heroic and mujahidin commanders, I do not forget all the splendid fighters in these formations and units who placed themselves for martyrdom to save the principles, the great values, and the significance of the faith by which God Almighty has honored us. Thus, the homeland and our honor will be protected and these men's kinfolk and people will be proud of them.
I ask permission from God to bow in humility to them and to say that my pride and the pride of your leadership in them has no limits.
O mujahidin fighters on the land of Iraq, the ancient land, the land that witnessed the origin of the early prophets, I would like to mention at the outset the 11th Infantry Division and all its brave mujahdin, the men of Al-Qadisiyah [war with Iran] and Mother of Battles [1991 Gulf war]. Their exceptional performance and sacrifices deserve the pride of every Iraqi and every zealous and brave, honorable soldier.
In the 11th Infantry Division, I would like to mention the division's 45th Brigade, which raised the name of Iraq high in Umm Qasr and which raised high the banner of jihad in that epic, along with the naval forces that joined them. I would like to name the distinguished men and their formations so that you might remember their names:
The commander of the heroic 11th Division, Staff Major General Mustafa Muhammad Imran al-Azzawi, and chief of staff of the heroic division, Staff Brigadier General Bashir Ahmad Uthman.
Commander of the heroic 45th Brigade, Staff Colonel Ali Khalil Ibrahim.
Commander of the heroic First Regiment of the heroic 45th Brigade, Staff Lieutenant Colonel Yaha Badri Dakhil.
Commander of the heroic Second Regiment of the heroic 45th Brigade, Staff Colonel Muhammad Khalaf al-Juburi.
Commander of the heroic Third Regiment of the heroic 45th Brigade, Staff Colonel Fathi Ghani Majid.
The Coast Guard Regiment and its commander, Staff Lieutenant Colonel Haytham Rashid Ahmad al-Badran, fought under the command of the heroic 45th Brigade, and the commander of the Third Regiment of the 47th Brigade of the 11th Division, Staff Lieutenant Colonel Khalid Muhammad Kassar.
I salute, in your name also, the commander of the III Corps, Staff Lieutenant General Nuri Dawud Mish'al al-Ubaydi; the commander of the 51st Division, Salih al-Hashimi; the commander of the Sixth Armored Division, Staff Major General I'jimi Bar Ahmad al-Khattab al-Nasiri; the commander of the 18th Division, Staff Major General Adil Abdallah Ghathwan al-Ghurayri; and the commander of the Naval Force, Staff Major General Ayid Humud Hasan.
To the enemies I say: We have found what God the Merciful has promised us, a victory from God and an imminent conquest. But have you, having allied yourselves with the devil, found what the devil lured you with?
I tell our dear and beloved ones in beloved Basra: Be patient, brothers. Victory is near. I also tell you and tell the people of dear Baghdad, the people of Mosul, the ancient city of flags and weapons, and our people, the people of Al-Muthanna, the city of horses and banners, I tell them: Be patient, brothers. You also know the people of Dhi Qar, the people of civilization and stands. You all know that the enemy will increase its raids and shelling whenever you increase your fight against it on the ground. Hold fast, brothers, sons, and beloved ones. Hold fast, God's victory is near, God willing.
I tell all of you: Whenever the enemies are defeated in front of your heroic ground forces, the enemy will increase the bombing against you. Bear this, because your position and status with God is great, God willing. The harvest of your patience will be victory. God is great. God is great. Long live our glorious nation. Long live Palestine, free and Arab, from the river to the sea. Long live Iraq, long live Iraq, long live Iraq, the country of jihad and virtue. Long live the Iraqis, the symbol of jihad, pride, hope, security, and humanity.
Greeting to all those who demonstrated solidarity with our people in this honorable showdown. Cursed be the villains and invaders, their assistants, and those who advised them to commit evil or involved them in it because of their evil intentions. God is great. God is great. May the lowly be accursed.
I'm sure that Saddam's backside is so puckered up right now that you couldn't get a greased toothpick up there.
course - I reckon if he was dead - then it wouldn't be so hard. Hell Aziz would probably enjoy the hell out of it.... walk around the next few days smelling his fingers and smiling....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.