The man who participated in the destruction of the statue of the late president during the American forces' invasion of the Iraqi capital Baghdad in 2003 confirmed that the situation in the country was much better under the leader's rule. In an interview with the program "My Story" on Al Arabiya, he expressed a wish for Saddam to return, explaining that he had always wished to destroy the president's statue before the American invasion because Saddam had killed many members of his family, which led to his resentment.
However, he stated that Iraq was in much better condition during Saddam's rule than it is today, referring to the political parties that took power after the invasion. On this day, at the same hours, "#Kazem_Al-Jabouri" and American forces struck down the statue of the former regime's president, #Saddam_Hussein, in #Firdous_Square in central Baghdad.
The man explained that he had always maintained the president's and his officials' bicycles, recounting many stories about that. He added that he had a personal relationship with the president and his children. Commenting on his participation in the statue's destruction, Al-Jabouri said, "I regret destroying the statue."
It is noteworthy that the statue of Saddam Hussein, which was 12 meters tall, was pulled down by U.S. Marine Corps soldiers on April 9, 2003, shortly after Al-Jabouri and other Iraqis attacked the statue. Television screens around the world broadcast images of the statue being torn from its base, an act that became a symbol of the overthrow of a regime that lasted 25 years, marking historical moments for millions of Iraqis.
