The site -- www.welovetheiraqiinformationminister.com -- was created this week by supporters and foes of the US-led invasion of Iraq, who, like many across the globe were often flabbergasted and amused by Sahhaf's pronouncements during the three-week campaign to take Baghdad.

But due to overwhelming response, the webmaster said the site was suspended in search of a new web server.

"We will be bringing it back on a brand new web server that will be dedicated to the task of serving this comical view of history's funniest straight man. This should be up in 24 hours from now," he said.

"The site was so popular that 4,000 visitors per second showed up from around the world and overwhelmed this shared server for over eight hours until we turned it off in self defense.

"It basically put a 100 other businesses out of business for a day," said the webmaster. "What started out as a private joke to be shared by a small group of friends has turned into a hit."

Sahhaf, wearing his trademark green Baath Party uniform and black beret, the bespectacled minister stoutly denied throughout the war every advance by the coalition even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

On Tuesday, as US tanks secured a key bridge over the Tigris and the hotel where he normally met the media came under fire, Sahhaf calmly told reporters the situation was under control and that Iraqi troops were preparing to "crush" the invaders.

"They are going to surrender or be burned in their tanks," Sahhaf said.

He vanished on Wednesday, when US forces entered central Baghdad, and may be dead but his words are still very much alive on the Web.

Among them: "My feelings, as usual, we will slaughter them all."

"Our initial assessment is that they will all die."

"Faltering forces of infidels cannot just enter a country of 26 million people and lay besiege to them! They are the ones who will find themselves under siege."

And this dire assessment of the coalition troops' state of mind: "I can say, and I am responsible for what I say, that they have started to commit suicide under the walls of Baghdad. We will encourage them to commit more suicides quickly."

One visitor to the US-based site commented: "This gentleman has achieved bullshit that transcends bullshit and becomes a thing of wonder. As a lawyer, I can only stand back and watch in awe."

The site, before the plug was pulled, was also marketing T-shirts bearing a photograph of Sahhaf and one of his quotes.

SPACE.WIRE