The ousted Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein, is wearing an explosive belt and plans to activate it when he feels US forces are closing on him, the London-based Arabic language newspaper, AlHayat reported on Wednesday. Quoting "various Iraqi sources", the daily said Saddam has been wearing the belt, since the killing last week of his two sons, Uday and Qusay.
Meanwhile, a new audiotape attributed to Saddam and aired Tuesday on Arab satellite station Al-Arabiya acknowledged the death of his two sons.
The tape started with a verse from the Quran. The voice said Uday and Qusay and the latter's son, Mustafa, killed in a gunfight with American in the northern Iraqi town of Mosul, would be martyrs in heaven.
"Even if Saddam Hussein has 100 children other than Uday and Qusay, Saddam Hussein would offer them the same way," the speaker said.
"Thank God for what he gave us, and honored us with their martyrdom for his sake," the voice said in the tape.
"Saddam Hussein" called Uday and Qusay's deaths "good news, that is the hope of every fighter for God's sake, as another group of noble souls of the martyrs have ascended to their creator."
"Uday, Qusai, and Mustafa died in Jihad field...in a brave battle with the enemy. "The aggression armies surrounding them with all kinds of weapons and ground troops were not able to conquer them until they used their warplanes on the house that they were in," the speaker said.
It said Uday and Qusay died "for the sake of God, the nation, the people." (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
