Editing Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf

{{short description|75th Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{infobox officeholder
| image               = Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf.png
| caption             = Al-Sahhaf in 1996
| office              = [[List of Iraqi Information Ministers|Minister of Information]]
| predecessor         = [[Humam Abd al-Khaliq Abd al-Ghafur]]
| president           = [[Saddam Hussein]]
| party               = [[Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region]]
| successor           = ''Ministry dissolved''
| office1             = [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Iraq)|
Minister of Foreign Affairs]]
| predecessor1        = [[Tariq Aziz]]
| president1          = [[Saddam Hussein]]
| successor1          = [[Naji Sabri]]
| nickname            = {{hlist|Baghdad Bob|Comical Ali}}
| birth_name          = Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf
| birth_date          =  {{birth date and age|1940|7|30|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Hillah]], [[Kingdom of Iraq]]
| death_date          = 
| alma_mater          = [[Baghdad University]]
| term_start1         = 6 June 1992
| term_end1           = 23 April 2001
<!--unknown parameter:
| religion                = [[Shia Islam]]-->}}

'''Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf''' ({{langx|ar|محمد سعيد الصحاف}}; {{Transliteration|ar|DIN| Muḥammad Saʿīd Al-Ṣaḥḥāf}}, born 30 July 1940){{Citation needed|date=May 2023}} is an Iraqi former diplomat and politician. He served as [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Iraq)|
Minister of Foreign Affairs]] from 1992 to 2001. He came to worldwide prominence around the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]], during which he was the [[List of Iraqi Information Ministers|Minister of Information]] under Iraqi President [[Saddam Hussein]], acting as spokesman for the [[Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region|Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party]] and Saddam's government. He has also been nicknamed '''Baghdad Bob''' or '''Comical Ali''' (a play on "[[Chemical Ali]]") for his notable and colorful television appearances as the Information Minister of Iraq.

== Early life and career ==
Al-Sahhaf was born in [[Hilla]], near [[Karbala]], to a [[Shi'ite]] [[Arab]] family. After studying journalism<ref name="BBC20080627">{{cite news| url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2927031.stm|title=Profile: Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf| publisher= [[BBC News]]|date=27 June 2003|access-date=19 March 2008}}</ref> at [[Baghdad University]], he graduated with a master's degree in [[English literature]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/04/13/wirq213.xml |url-status=dead |last=Alderson |first=Andrew |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030826170959/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/04/13/wirq213.xml |archive-date=26 August 2003 |title='True lies' make web star out of Saddam's mouthpiece |work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |date=13 April 2003 |access-date= 19 March 2008 |location=London }}</ref> He planned to become an English teacher<ref name="BBC20080627" /> before joining the [[Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region|Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party]] in 1963. In the early days of Ba'athist governance, he read out regular announcements of recently executed Iraqis on state television.<ref>{{cite book |first= Robert| last= Fisk |title=The Great War For Civilisation |year=2006 |page=187|publisher=Harper Perennial |location=London |isbn=978-1-84115-008-6}}</ref>

He served as an ambassador to Sweden, Burma, the United Nations and Italy, before returning to Iraq to serve as Foreign Minister in 1992.<ref name="BBC20080627" /> The reasons for his removal as Foreign Minister in April 2001 are unclear, but his achievements in the position were often claimed to be less satisfactory than that of his predecessor, [[Tariq Aziz]]. At least one report suggests that [[Uday Hussein]], Saddam Hussein's son, was responsible for the removal.<ref name="BBC20080627" />

== Invasion of Iraq ==
===Nicknames===
Al-Sahhaf is known for his daily press briefings in [[Baghdad]] during the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]]. His colorful appearances caused him to be nicknamed "Baghdad Bob"<ref name=bags>{{cite news |first=Liza |last=Porteus |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/report-u-s-bags-baghdad-bob |title=Report: U.S. Bags 'Baghdad Bob' |work=Fox News Channel |access-date=25 June 2003 |date=25 June 2003}}</ref> (in the style of previous propagandists with geographical aliases—some of them alliterative, such as "[[Tokyo Rose]]" and "[[Hanoi Hannah]]" and "[[Seoul City Sue]]") by commentators in the United States. He was nicknamed "Comical Ali" by commentators in the United Kingdom; commentators in Italy similarly nicknamed him "Alì il Comico". These nicknames were given because he made statements about the conflict that were wildly at odds with reality, and western media treated him as a parody during the initial stages of the [[Iraq War]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Posetti, Alice |first1=Julie, Matthews |title=A Short Guide to the History of 'Fake News' and Disinformation: A New ICFJ Learning Module |url=https://www.icfj.org/news/short-guide-history-fake-news-and-disinformation-new-icfj-learning-module |website=International Center for Journalists |language=en}}</ref>

===Announcements===
His pronouncements included claims that American soldiers were committing suicide "by the hundreds" outside the city, and denial that there were any American tanks in Baghdad, when in fact they were only several hundred meters away from the press conference where he was speaking and the combat sounds of nearing American troops could already be heard in the background.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/jan/13/broadcasting.Iraqandthemedia |title=Comical Ali gets job as TV pundit |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |first=Claire |last=Cozens |date=13 January 2004 |access-date=25 April 2020}}</ref> On another occasion, he spoke of the disastrous outcomes of previous foreign attempts to invade Iraq, citing an unspecified Western history book and inviting the journalists present to come to his home to read it. His last public appearance as Information Minister was on 8 April 2003, when he said that the Americans "are going to surrender or be burned in their tanks. They will surrender; it is they who will surrender".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Howard |title=Crucible of Power: A History of American Foreign Relations from 1897 |date=2008 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |isbn=978-0-7425-5825-0 |page=591 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2A28fa-Bz9sC&pg=PA591 |language=en}}</ref> When asked where he had gotten his information, he replied, "authentic sources—many authentic sources".<ref name="Comical-resurf">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3024046.stm |title='Comical Ali' resurfaces |publisher=BBC News |date=26 June 2003 |access-date=15 August 2009}}</ref> He pointed out that he "was a professional, doing his job".<ref name="Comical-resurf" />

He frequently used the word ''‘ulūj'' ({{Lang|ar|علوج}}), an obscure and particularly insulting term for [[infidel]]s, to describe the American forces in Iraq. This caused some debate in the [[Arabic]]-language media about the exact meaning of the word, with most concluding it meant "bloodsucking insect". In an August 2003 interview on [[Abu Dhabi TV]], al-Sahhaf said it was an archaic term attributed to [[Umar|Umar ibn Al-Khattāb]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Popular Culture in the Arab World: Arts, Politics, and the Media |page=60 |first=Andrew |last=Hammond |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O06bOHRW7s8C&pg=PA60 |year=2007 |publisher=American University in Cairo Press|isbn=978-977-416-054-7}}</ref>

US intelligence analysts later concluded that Al-Sahhaf confidently made false statements because he genuinely believed in what he was saying. As the American forces approached Baghdad, the Iraqi army falsely reported that they had successfully counterattacked US forces, destroying numerous tanks and killing hundreds of American troops. Army Col. Steve Boltz, the deputy chief of intelligence for V Corps, expressed that they held the belief that Al-Sahhaf sincerely held the information he reported to be true. Boltz theorized that because Saddam's regime was known for frequently punishing those who delivered bad news, military officers would fabricate reports about the battlefield situation. This systemic self-deception within the Iraqi hierarchy led to a surprising lack of awareness when the Americans entered the capital, with some captured Iraqi officers later bewilderingly admitting that they had no idea that the US forces had been so close.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ricks |first1=Thomas E. |title=Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq |date=3 May 2007 |publisher=Penguin Books Limited |isbn=978-0-14-190230-2 |page=134 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bLWJWJ0qXEAC&q=fiasco+the+american+military+adventure+in+iraq |language=en}}</ref>

Al-Sahhaf gained something of a cult following in the West, appearing on T-shirts, cartoons, and in [[Internet celebrity|Internet phenomena]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.welovetheiraqiinformationminister.com/ |title=We Love the Iraqi Information Minister |publisher=We Love the Iraqi Information Minister |url-status=dead |date=30 May 2003 |access-date=11 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050306030502/http://www.welovetheiraqiinformationminister.com/ |archive-date=6 March 2005 }}</ref> In the UK, a DVD documentary was sold about his exploits and televised interviews, called ''Comical Ali''.

==Post-war life==
On 25 June 2003, British newspaper the ''[[Daily Mirror]]'' reported that al-Sahhaf had been captured by coalition troops at a roadblock in Baghdad.<ref name=bags/> The report was not confirmed by military authorities and was denied by al-Sahhaf's family through [[Abu Dhabi TV]]. The next day, al-Sahhaf recorded an interview for [[Riyadh]]-based news channel [[al-Arabiya]].<ref>{{cite news|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512132345/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,85572,00.html |archive-date=12 May 2006 |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,85572,00.html |title=Ex-Iraqi Information Minister Could Be a TV Star |website=FoxNews.com |date=30 April 2003|access-date=30 April 2003 |first=Don |last=Kaplan}}</ref> He was reportedly paid as much as [[United States dollar|US$]]200,000 for the television interview, during which he appeared very withdrawn, in contrast with the bombastic persona he projected during the war. Many of his answers consisted of a simple "yes" or "no". He refused to speculate on the causes of the downfall of the Iraqi government and answered only "history will tell" when asked if video clips purporting to prove that Saddam Hussein was alive were genuine, amid speculation at that time that Hussein had been killed during the war.

His fame quickly evaporated as the war continued into the [[Iraqi insurgency (2003–11)|insurgency phase]]; from the middle of 2003 onward, he faded from the public spotlight, and was no longer a figure in the war. Al-Sahhaf said that he had surrendered to United States forces, had been interrogated by them and then released.<ref>{{cite news| title= Ex-minister detained, released|agency= [[Associated Press]]| date= 27 June 2003}}</ref><ref name="AtlTrue">{{cite news| url= https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/03/baghdad-bob-and-his-ridiculous-true-predictions/274241/| title='Baghdad Bob' and His Ridiculous, True Predictions| first= Emily| last= DePrang| work= [[The Atlantic]]| date= 21 March 2013|access-date= 10 February 2017}}</ref> He was not charged for his role in Saddam Hussein's government.<ref name="AtlTrue"/>

In March 2008, it was reported by ''[[The Times]]'' that al-Sahhaf was living in the [[United Arab Emirates]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/where-are-they-now-comical-ali-rageh-omaar-and-private-jessica-lynch-tjjlbp2bkj0|title=Where are they now? Comical Ali, Rageh Omaar and Private Jessica Lynch|first1=Tom |last1=Whipple |first2=Hattie |last2=Garlick |date=19 March 2008 |newspaper=[[The Times]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200602084115/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/where-are-they-now-comical-ali-rageh-omaar-and-private-jessica-lynch-tjjlbp2bkj0 |archive-date=2 June 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Axis Sally]]
* [[Hanoi Hannah]]
* [[Lord Haw-Haw]]
* [[Pyongyang Sally]]
* [[Tokyo Rose]]
* [[Moussa Ibrahim]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-gov}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Tariq Aziz]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Iraqi Foreign Minister]]|years=1992–2001}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Naji Sabri]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Humam Abd al-Khaliq Abd al-Ghafur]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Iraqi Information Minister]]|years=2001–2003}}
{{s-non|reason=Ministry dissolved}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sahhaf, Muhammad Saeed}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Iraqi propagandists]]
[[Category:People from Hillah]]
[[Category:University of Baghdad alumni]]
[[Category:Permanent representatives of Iraq to the United Nations]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Iraq to Sweden]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Iraq to Myanmar]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Iraq to Italy]]
[[Category:Ministers of foreign affairs of Iraq]]
[[Category:Information ministers of Iraq]]
[[Category:Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region politicians]]
[[Category:Iraqi Shia Muslims]]
[[Category:Iraqi expatriates in the United Arab Emirates]]
[[Category:Political spokespersons]]
[[Category:1940 births]]