Sahhaf has dropped out of sight since US forces took over the Iraqi capital on April 9, abruptly ending Saddam's 24-year-rule, while unconfirmed press reports even claim he committed suicide.

And out of Jordan comes a Sahhaf "statement" that it was not Saddam Hussein's statue pulled own in central Baghdad last week, it was only that of one of the president's doubles.

But jokes about the man who in his own way "shocked and awed" the world with assessments of the three-week military campaign often bearing little relation to reality continue to outlast both the regime and its front man.

Sahhaf's most celebrated pronouncements appear on a website created last week by both supporters and opponents of the US-led invasion of Iraq.

The site -- www.welovetheiraqiinformationminister.com -- drew an overwhelming response, attracting 4,000 visitors per second, according to its webmaster.

"There are no American infidels in Baghdad. Never!" reads the first of the "treasury of deathless quotes" on the site.

"There are no US troops in Baghdad. But the Baghdad Shopping Festival has attracted a record number of Americans this year," quipped a Dubai resident, paraphrasing Sahhaf.

Gulf and other Arab cities have in recent years competed to stage mammoth shopping festivals, with the Dubai edition one of the most popular and profitable.

SPACE.WIRE