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| Iraq |
| Dye is cast as Comical Ali turns up |
| 2003-06-27 |
| One of the most remarkable figures of the Iraq war has resurfaced for the first time since the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime. Former Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf - dubbed "Comical Ali" for his deadpan insistence that Iraqi forces were crushing the invading Americans - appeared in brief interviews on Al-Arabiya and Abu Dhabi TV. "Good Morning America" will be next. The ex-information chief looked much older than he did during his daily press briefings three months ago with his hair now completely grey. But that has been put down to the fact that in post-war Iraq he cannot get hold of the black hair dye he used to use. I called it yesterday! Mr Sahhaf said that he had surrendered himself to US forces, who had released him after questioning. American military leaders would not confirm his claim that he had been interrogated and freed. "We don't have him, and there is no information from our people on the ground to back up these reports," a spokeswoman for US Central Command said. "He is an interesting story teller and we look forward to hearing what he has got to say," she added. Bet he walked up to some GI's on the street and they listened to him for a minute and told him to get lost. Mr Sahhaf is not on the US list of 55 most wanted Iraqis. He declined to tell the TV stations about the final days before Baghdad fell, but he revealed plans to publish his memoirs. He said: "The full picture will only emerge when I write my book. The time is not yet ripe to say what happened. When history's ready, then we can talk about it. It’s a big picture and I am just a small part." Bingo! He's on the book circuit, I'm two for two. He also denied being part of Saddam Hussein's inner circle, saying he was a professional doing his job. The "I was just following orders" defense. |
| Posted by:Steve |