IRAQ - July 17 - Saddam Tape Urges Jihad Against US.

Al Arabiya and Al Jazeera broadcast an audio-tape said to be by Saddam Hussein, which calls for Iraqis to mount a "jihad" to oust occupying US troops. The speaker on the tape says: "The enemy wants to weaken Iraq and the only genuine solution is to resist the occupation through jihad (holy struggle) to inflict losses and evict the enemy from Iraq". (The tape coincides with the 35th anniversary of the Baath Party coup which paved the way for Saddam's rule. US troops were on alert fearing attacks by Saddam loyalists coinciding with the anniversary of the 1968 Baath Party coup. But for the first time in 35 years, most Iraqis ignored the day which was previously marked by massive parades, speeches and songs in praise of Saddam and Baathists). In Washington, a US intelligence official said the Saddam tape, the third to be broadcast since he was toppled on April 9, was being reviewed to determine its authenticity and glean further information. Listeners familiar with Saddam's speeches said the voice and style of address sounded very like the former Iraqi leader. The speaker on the tape described as "baseless" US and British allegations that Baghdad had weapons of mass destruction, the main justification for the war. He also vowed resistance against US troops would intensify. The voice said: "The foreign occupier occupied Iraq to weaken it and destroy its resources, that is why the only solution... is to resist the occupation to make the enemy fail. I am confident that our people who rejected the occupation will resist them".