Hussein Declares Jihad as Military Operation Against Iraq Starts

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has declared a holy war in response to the start of a military operation against Baghdad.

"Long live jihad and Iraq! Death to aggressors!" he said in an address to the nation which was broadcast by the US CNN company.

The Iraqi leader urged his compatriots "to take arms and fight for the name of justice." "It is only the force of our arms that will help us stop the enemy," he said.

Saddam Hussein said that Iraq's enemies "will get their due." "In the name of God, we will strive to win and the victory will be ours," he said.

"We will add up a few heroic pages to the history of our state," the Iraqi leader stressed.