Iraq Acknowledges Strike on Saddam's Home
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By HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq (news - web sites)'s information
minister acknowledged Friday that one of Saddam
Hussein (news - web sites)'s homes was hit in the U.S.
bombardment, but said no one was hurt.

"They rocketed the residence of his household,"
Mohammed Sa'eed al-Sahhaf said at a news conference.
"But thank God, they are all safe."


Al-Sahhaf lashed out at the "criminal George Bush and
his gang."


"They are superpower of villains. They are superpower
of Al Capone," he said. "We will not allow them to get
out of this quagmire which we trapped them in. They
will see their end there."


Saddam offered a reward of $14,000 to any Iraqi who
kills an enemy soldier, and $28,000 to anyone who
captures an enemy soldier alive, according to a decree
reported by the official Iraqi News Agency.


A semblance of normalcy returned to Baghdad after
Thursday night's bombing.


There was a great deal of traffic on the streets, many
shops were open and many people were out on the
street.


But there was still a heavy security presence,
including armed members of the ruling Baath Party,
security forces and police, and pickup trucks mounted
with heavy machine guns.


The official Iraqi News Agency said 37 people were
injured in Thursday night's raid at heart of Baghdad
and in other locations in and around the city.


Standing next to Al-Sahhaf at the news conference was
Interior Minister Mahmoud Diab al-Ahmed, carrying a
Kalashnikov rifle and ammunition and wearing a
military uniform and flak jacket with a knife in the
pocket and a pistol on his hip.


"Some of you might may be wondering why do I have a
Kalashnikov in my hand and wearing a flak jacket," he
said. "Because we have all in Iraq pledged never to
relinquish our weapons until the day of victory."


Sahhaf also denied any U.S.-led advance into Iraq and
argued that TV images of Iraqis surrendering were
fabricated.


"Those are not Iraqi soldiers at all," he said. "Where
did they bring them from?"


Al-Sahhaf suggested that any captured U.S. and British
soldiers may not be treated as prisoners of war under
the Geneva Conventions. Al-Sahhaf said Iraq was
considering how to treat them.


"Those are mercenaries. Most probably they will be
treated as mercenaries, hirelings and as war
criminals. … For sure, international law does not
apply to those," he said.


A busload of journalists was taken to the main
Al-Douri power plant, which was damaged in the 1991
Gulf War (news - web sites), where at least 12 human
shields from Switzerland, Turkey, France and the
United States are staying.


The lone American, Mark Ubans of Wallington, Mo.,
said: "There seems to be no way to stop this war. So
the least people can do is to try to protect civilians
here." He said at least five American human shields
are elsewhere in Iraq.












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