Radio Tikrit changes tune in Iraq

A station identifying itself as Radio Tikrit, which carried programming early in February referring to President Saddam Hussein in respectful terms, seems to have shifted to a line hostile to the Iraqi leader.

Tikrit is the birthplace of Saddam Hussein, and the radio announces itself as "Radio Tikrit for the whole of Iraq and all the Iraqis", although it is unclear from where it is broadcast.

The radio, which broadcasts for two hours in the evening on a medium-wave frequency, was heard on 7 and 8 February carrying news, songs and general-interest features.

The initial programming did not air the Iraqi national anthem but did seem to support Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath Party and was critical of the US.

One programme, called Open Dialogue, included items glorifying "Saddam Hussein's Iraq".

But from 15-19 February, the content had changed noticeably, with reports highlighting poverty in Iraq. The same programme was sharply critical of Saddam Hussein's Republican Guards and the Public Security Department.

In a country where the domestic media is controlled by Saddam Hussein, such a deviation is noteworthy.

Psychological operations

Members of the Republican Guards were advised to leave their positions "before it is too late".

Similarly, public-security officers were advised by the programme on 19 February to refuse the "orders of the tyrant" and "be brave before it is too late".

The station can be heard from 1900-2100 GMT on 1584 kHz, but reception is patchy because of co-channel interference and fading.

Features include recitations from the Koran, and the Arabic press review includes London-based Arabic-language papers.

There is speculation that this may be a psychological operation - or "psyops" - designed to disrupt Saddam's monopoly on information and drum up opposition to his rule - but the identity of its sponsor is as yet unclear.

Similar psyops radio broadcasts have been used in times of conflict.

In recent months, particularly in Afghanistan, the US has delivered radio broadcasts from the air with its Commando Solo flights.

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.