There are no American troops in Baghdad
| There are no American troops in Baghdad | |
|---|---|
| FALSE | |
| "There are no American troops in Baghdad; Iraqi forces are defeating the invaders, who are committing suicide by the hundreds at the city's gates." | |
| Domain | War, Conflict & Geopolitics |
| Tactic | Propaganda Technique Fabrication |
| Era | Current |
| First seen | April 2003 |
| Origin | Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, nicknamed "Baghdad Bob" and "Comical Ali," in press briefings during the 2003 invasion |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-29 |
| Further reading: books on War, Conflict & Geopolitics | |
Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, Iraq's information minister during the 2003 invasion, became famous for denying American advances even as US forces entered Baghdad. On April 7, 2003, as US tanks were visible across the Tigris, he told reporters there were no American troops in the city. Baghdad fell two days later.
The claim
In daily briefings, al-Sahhaf said US forces were being defeated, were nowhere near the capital and would surrender or die.
What the evidence shows
- Visible contradiction. US armored columns made "thunder runs" into Baghdad on April 5 and 7 and seized government buildings. Journalists could see American forces from their hotels.
- Rapid collapse. Saddam Hussein's government lost control of Baghdad on April 9, 2003.
Why it matters
Al-Sahhaf's briefings became a symbol of propaganda so detached from reality that it turned comic, a reminder that regimes often deny events their own audiences can see.
See also
Gaslighting Insisting there were no US troops in Baghdad while tanks could be seen behind him made Iraq's information minister a famous example of gaslighting in wartime. The word comes from Patrick Hamilton's 1938 play Gas Light and the 1944 film Gaslight, in which a husband dims the gas lamps and insists his wife is imagining it. Where the word comes from · More gaslighting cases
Sources
- BBC News, coverage of al-Sahhaf's briefings, April 2003.
- Wikipedia, "Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf."