A man reads a newspaper with the front page dedicated to the Saddam verdict in Baghdad on Wednesday. (AP)

Dubai, Dec. 27 (Reuters): Saddam Hussein said his execution would be a sacrifice for Iraq and called on Iraqis to unite and fight US forces, in a letter obtained by Reuters today.

“Here I offer myself in sacrifice. If God almighty wishes, it (my soul) will take me where he orders to be with the martyrs,” Saddam said in the hand-written letter obtained from his defence lawyers in Jordan.

“If my soul goes down this path (of martyrdom) it will face God in serenity.”

The defence team said the letter was written shortly after Saddam was sentenced to death in November for crimes against humanity during his 24-year rule, and before the Iraqi High Tribunal appeals court yesterday ratified the lower court’s ruling.

“You have known your brother and leader as you have known your own family. He has not bowed down to the tyrants and remained a sword against them,” Saddam said.

“Oh great people, I call on you preserve the values that enabled you to be worthy of carrying out shouldering the faith and to be the light of civilisation,” the letter said.

“Your unity stands against falling into servitude.”

Saddam added: “Oh brave, pious Iraqis in the heroic resistance. Oh sons of the one nation, direct your enmity towards the invaders. Do not let them divide you ... Long live jihad (holy war) and the mujahideen against the invaders.” Following the appeals court decision, Saddam faces death by hanging within 30 days.

In Baghdad, Iraqis were divided in their opinion on the verdict. While some welcomed a swift execution, others expressed fears that carrying out the death sentence now would further fuel sectarian violence.

“This is a just sentence because Saddam oppressed the Iraqi people but I think it came at the wrong time because we’re living through a cycle of violence,” said Baghdad resident Mohammed Nasir.

Edward Iskander, a 37-year-old shopkeeper, agreed. “I just hope they let him die naturally because if we execute him, his followers will unleash mayhem,” he said. Some people fear Saddam’s die-hard followers will produce a bloody backlash if he is executed.