Text: Iraq Is Only Defending Itself

Text of President Saddam Hussein's speech on the war in Iraq broadcast Monday on state-run Iraqi Television. The Arabic broadcast was translated by The Associated Press

To the great Iraqi people, the mujahedeen in our brave armed forces, peace be on you.

We and all you, members of this great, patient and fighting nation, know how much we tried to keep things in the safest manner to the extent that some blamed us for this and were surprised why we behaved with such a degree of patience against the evil created by the purposeful people, and how we responded to accept things that might be equal to that sought by the weak people or by those who do not realize the nature, the aims and the intentions of the American and British administrations, followed by the cursed Zionism and those who have tried every day with several new pretexts since the 1991 cease-fire until now, when an all-out war has started again, coupled with sanctions, to turn the days we live now into the days of decisiveness when the mujahedeen and the great people of Iraq exert tremendous skill and earn God's blessing and His support, similar to God's promises to the faithful against the enemies of God and humanity.

We have the right, but it is our duty to be proud like the faithful and patient mujahedeen of the great epic performed today with their precious blood.

I say, we have always accepted the things, even if they were illegal and unjust, which have been offered by the wicked hoping that the world would awake to lift the sanctions off our people and to avoid the evils of war.

When they exhausted all pretexts and covers, the aggressors and occupiers came with their black faces showing evil canine teeth and exposing their true nature as we used to know them and their intentions. You know, brothers, that our policy is to avoid evil, but when evil comes to us wielding its perfidious and destructive weapons, then an attitude of glory and jihad should be adopted, an attitude that pleases them as well as God. Thus today you, great Iraqi men and noble women and our brave armed forces, adopt that attitude. A stand that pleases the friends and all the believers and angers the enemy and all disbelievers, a stand that will render you victorious, by God's will, against your enemies and inflict on them great loss. A clear and final victory after you trusted God and after the aggression and injustice were revealed for everybody and awakened those who were deceived by the enemies before and after the year 1991.

It is a near victory that God promises the patient faithful with. These are your days, you Iraqis are in line with what God has ordered you to do, to cut their throats and even their fingers. Strike them and strike evil so that evil will be defeated.

Those who are believers will be victorious. In these decisive days, the enemy tried not using missiles and fighter jets as they did before. This time, they sent their infantry troops. This time, they have come to invade and occupy your land.

However, the Americans and the Britons still try to avoid engaging our forces that will put them at the reach of our weapons. In most cases they are using their warplanes to attack our troops without engaging them in fighting.

But this time, these forces pushed into our land and wherever they entered, they became entangled in a critical situation leaving behind them the desert and to find Iraqi residents surrounding them and aiming their fire at them.

Whenever they penetrated our territory, they were faced with fierce resistance from Iraqi people, tribes, party members, Saddam's Fedayeen and security forces who performed a great task that suits their noble characters.

Therefore, the enemy, after trying and failing to belittle your might, approached you from land as the situation is now. We should consider their approach as the best position for us to be in to have the enemy in a state which enables us to inflict heavy losses upon him. The enemy became embroiled in Iraq's sacred land, which is defended by a great people and an army with vast experience.

Therefore, you noble Iraqi people, who are equal to my father and mother (in stature), strike your enemy strongly and accurately, with the force of the spirit of jihad that you possess. Keep him tired to the extent that it turns him incapable to go on or continue committing more crimes against you, your nation and humanity. After doing this, you will reap stability and glory and our martyrs (will receive) a reward of paradise and for you the reward of honor accepted by God and recorded by history at present and in the future.

The lesson that you are teaching the enemy will render him not only hesitant, but without the courage to again harm you, your nation or humanity. Strike him so that goodness and the good people feel happy with that, the evil will leave its den to die and let you sleep deeply with your parents, sister and children, assured with all the believers and good people. By this and with your jihad, you will tire the souls of the enemies.

You Arabs, believers in the whole world, the comrades of right and enemies of evil and injustice. We tell you the good news of what God bestowed on us in our struggle with the impudent people, enemies of humanity, that God has betrayed them and made his soldiers victorious. God humiliated them and will humiliate them more and more.

God has cherished his good people and we will keep our promise before God and humanity and let God witness from his chair, as well as the faithful on Earth, that we will sacrifice whatever is expensive and dear to get His satisfaction and to support His soldiers. We will carry out jihad depending on Him so that He will humiliate the aggressors and the recklessly despicable, to fragment their efforts and return their evil to their bodies and we, with God's soldiers on our earth, are capable to do so after depending on God and preparing what is needed for it.

The Iraqi mujahedeen, with all their names and merits, are inflicting serious damage on the enemy.

As time goes by, they will lose more and they will not be able to escape lightly from their predicament. We will make it as painful as we can. The enemy will sit still in the abyss of decay until he is suffocated, defeated and horrified, followed by curses and shame of defeat in front of the will of faith glorified by God, who wanted it to be a means on Earth to awaken those who ignored God and the people on His Earth.

It is my duty to hail, in your name, your armed forces and all the titles of other resistance each by name. When I mention names of the valiant formations, its heroic leaders, I see in them all the fighters who put themselves ready for martyrdom to save the principles and the great values as well as the values of faith bestowed on those in each formation, to save the homeland and honor while the people feel proud for them.

After taking permission from God and saying it humbly with all submissiveness, I salute you. Our admiration and that of your leadership is unlimited, you the strugglers and mujahedeen on the land of Iraq, the cradle and origin of prophets.

I especially name the 11th Infantry Division and its brave and mujahedeen men, the men of Qadissiya and the mother of all battles whose attitude was distinguished with sacrifice that deserved to be proud of by any Iraqi.

In the 11th Division, I mainly mention Brigade 45 that raised the banner of jihad and the name of Iraq high in the fierce battle of Umm Qasr, together with those who were attached to it from the navy.

I will mention the names of those distinguished commanders to remember them:

The commander of the 11th Division, Lt. Gen. Mustafa Mohammed Omran al-Azzawi; chief of staff of the division, Brig. Omar Bashir Ahmed Othman; commander of the 45th Brigade, Col. Ali Khalil Ibrahim; commander of the 1st Battalion of the 45th Brigade, Lt. Col. Yahia Badri Dakheel; commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 45th Brigade, Col. Mohammed Khalaf al-Jubouri; commander of 3rd Battalion of the 45th Brigade, Col. Fathi Ghani Majeed; commander of the coast guard battalion that was supported by the 45th Brigade, Lt. Col. Haythem Rasheed Ahmed al-Badran; commander of 3rd Battalion of the 47th Brigade of the 11th Division, Lt. Col. Khaled Mohammed Kassar.

I also salute in your name the commander of the 3rd Corps, Gen. Nouri Daoud Meshal al-Ubeidi; the commander of the 51st Division of the 3rd Corps, Lt. Gen. Khaled Hatem Saleh al-Hashimi; commander of the 6th Armored Division, Lt. Gen. Ijimi Bara Ahmed Khattab al-Nassiri; commander of the 18th Division, Lt. Gen. Adel Abdullah Ghazwan al-Ghurairi; commander of the naval forces, Lt. Gen. Ayed Hammoud Hasan.

To the enemies, I say now we have gained God's promise. (A verse from the Quran follows.) Have you found what the devil that besets your soul promised you in Iraq?

I tell our dear people in Basra to be tolerant. God's victory is coming. Victory is imminent. I tell you and the people of dear Baghdad and for the dear people of Mosul, the old city in history, the city of flags and weapons, and to our people in Muthana, known for its horses and banners, I tell them to be tolerant and that you know and also the people of Thi Qar (An Nasiriya), the people of civilization, you all know that the enemy will concentrate his raids and bombardment whenever you concentrate your fighting on him on the ground. Be patient brothers because God's victory will be ours soon.

I tell you all that whenever the enemies were defeated by your courageous ground forces, the enemy will increase shelling on you, so bear it because your stature with God is great and by God's will the harvest of your patience will be victory.

Long live Palestine, free and Arab, from the river to the sea.

Long live Iraq, the country of jihad and virtue, and long live Iraqis, symbol of jihad, glory, hope and humanity.

Salute to all those who stood in solidarity with our people in this honest battle and curse on the evils, the invaders, their supporters and those who advised them to do evil or who made them involve in it.

God is great. God is great.

Shame on the despicable.