Saddam's deputy tells his followers Americans are facing defeat in Iraq (al-Douri)

Associated Press (excerpt) ^ | July 8, 2007

[HAL9000]

Excerpt -

BAGHDAD: An audiotape said to be of Saddam Hussein's deputy said his group will keep fighting until the last foreign soldier withdraws from Iraq, saying the Americans are being defeated.

The audiotape purportedly from Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri was obtained by The Associated Press in Baghdad on Sunday. It was impossible to determine its authenticity, but several Iraqis familiar with al-Douri's voice said they believed it from his.

It was also unclear when the audiotape was made but the comments referred to Saddam as a "martyr." He was hanged Dec. 30 for his role in the deaths of more than 140 Shiite Muslims more than 25 years ago.

In the tape, the speaker said that the leadership of Saddam's former Baath Party declared that "its only alternative is Jihad (holy war), and escalating Jihad, until the last soldier of the enemy flees the land of Iraq."

~ snip ~

[RightWhale]

Most of the American Army will be withdrawn from Iraq. That is already being labelled defeat. What would victory be? Staying in Iraq forever?

[HAL9000]

red hair is very unusual.

It's probably dyed with henna.

[Mr_Tiki]

No, I believe he is in the Yemen. The Iraqi president also pointed this out some time ago. It is also clear from al-Douri’s rhetoric that his branch of the Baath party are anti-Syrian. Yemen is known to host some of the anti-Syrian Iraqi Baathists, although the authorities there denied the presence of Douri. But I don’t think they are telling the truth.

[herMANroberts]

Is this guy’s hanging scheduled yet?

[Mr_Tiki]

There are some ginger-haired people in Iraq, though not that many.

[elhombrelibre]

We’ve pretty good relations with Yemen. Why can’t we get him handed over to us?

[Marine_Uncle]

Anymore I take most of this stuff with a grain of salt. The broadcast could simply have been cleverly put together so that those in the Saddamist side of the resistance will think the old goat is still around and controlling stuff, as a moral boost. Then again. Perhaps he is alive and well, and is running part of the operation from Yemen, Syria, where ever.
He could be hunkered down in some very well concelled bunker in or around Tikrit for all we know.

[Mr_Tiki]

Good question. Probably because the Yemenis are denying that he is there. I read a lengthy report some months ago about the rivalry in the Baath leadership, with some leaders being pro-Syria and others are anti-Syria. Yemen was highlighted as the base for some of the anti-Syrian Iraqi Baathists

What is more important in my view is the presence of numerous other insurgent supporters in Jordan (another US ally). These include al-Qaeda supporters as well as Saddam’s daughters, which are still politically active. There ought to be greater pressure from the US on Jordan to hand over these thugs. Iraq already asked Jordan in the past to hand over some of those suspects but received no response from the Jordanians.