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| Iraq |
| "Comical Ali" Is On The Air Again |
| 2003-06-26 |
| The former Iraqi information minister, who gained notoriety during the war for wildly implausible claims of victory, showed up on Arab television Thursday his first appearance since the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime. In an interview with Al-Arabiya satellite network, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf claimed he had surrendered to American forces, was questioned and let go. ''Through some friends, I went to the Americans,'' he said. ''I was interrogated about a number of subjects related to my job. After that, I was released.'' But do we believe him? The network aired only a few remarks from the 30-minute interview it said it conducted with al-Sahhaf on Thursday in a Baghdad suburb. The full interview was to air on Friday. It was not clear from the promo when al-Sahhaf claims the alleged interrogation and release took place. London's Daily Mirror said in its Wednesday edition that al-Sahhaf had been arrested in Baghdad on Monday night. However, U.S. Defense Department spokesman Col. Jay DeFrank said Wednesday that Central Command had no information on his being in U.S. custody. "Who?" In Thursday's clip, al-Sahhaf appeared fit and wore civilian clothes. But he was thinner and his hair was white a sharp change from his previous look of military fatigues and black hair tucked under a beret. Must be a shortage of "Just For Mouthpieces" hair color, I blame the UN sanctions. He referred to the dying days of Saddam's regime. ''It was a difficult situation, not for one individual, but for everybody,'' he said. The interview will include ''important information about the last war and the fall of the Iraqi regime,'' al-Arabiya said in a statement sent to The Associated Press. Including a promo for his upcoming book, I'm sure. He ''was exclusively interviewed in his hide-out in Baghdad,'' it said, but did not say where. Third cardboard box on the left, just past the Saddam Memorial Crater. Al-Sahhaf disappeared April 9, the day Baghdad fell to coalition forces. He is not on the list of the 55 most wanted Iraqi officials. Al-Arabiya has been linked to the ex-minister before: A month ago, it announced that it would offer him a job as a commentator on Iraqi affairs if it located him. He might not be credible, the station's officials said then, but he is popular and was in the Iraqi regime. Sounds like a job description for CNN. Ali al-Hadithi, the station's general supervisor, said Thursday that the issue was still being discussed. ''We managed to get the interview today. The other issue will be discussed once he leaves Iraq,'' al-Hadithi said. |
| Posted by:Steve |