US says TV tape was Saddam

US intelligence officials today said they were almost certain it was Saddam Hussein, not a look-alike, who appeared on Iraqi television a few hours after he was targeted by an American air strike.

But they said it was unclear whether the message was recorded before or after the strike.

The video showed Saddam, in military uniform, reading from a note pad and exhorting Iraqis to fight the American invaders.

Intelligence officials said an analysis of the speaker’s voice, inflections and facial movements led them to believe it was Saddam.