Saddam sentence - Iraqi people to pay price of verdict

EVEN as the judge was delivering yesterday’s death sentence by hanging against former dictator Saddam Hussein, Iraq was bracing itself for civil war.

While Shi’ite and Kurdish gunfire could be heard celebrating the announcement, a sullen silence hung over the Sunni community following the threat that a death sentence would turn Iraq into hell.

As America and Britain prepare secretly to withdraw, following their disastrous invasion, civil war is already raging throughout Baghdad and other cities. There is no doubt yesterday’s verdict will deepen the appalling sectarian violence of recent months.