Saddam message urges Iraqis to join fighting

Iraqi TV announcer read out a statement it said was from Saddam telling Iraqis to link up with other units to battle allied forces.

An Iraqi state television announcer read out a statement it said was from President Saddam Hussein on Sunday telling Iraqis who could not join their own fighting units to link up with other units.

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The statement, read out as the thunder of artillery and heavy machinegun fire echoed from outlying areas of Baghdad, followed reports by the US military that some Iraqi military units have been wiped out or disintegrated.

"From President Saddam Hussein, in the name of God the merciful, to all the members of the armed forces, peace be upon you," the announcer said, reading from the brief statement.

"If it is not possible for any fighter to join his unit for whatever reason, let him join a unit of the same kind that he is able to join. He is to be accounted for by this unit until further notice."

US forces kept up a relentless bombardment of Baghdad throughout the day as tanks and other fighting vehicles circled around the fringes of the sprawling city of five million people.

The US says about 2,000 Iraqi fighters have been killed in Baghdad since the US assault on the city began on March 20.