Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has been seeking to rally his people behind him as the United States steps up its preparations to topple him. In a letter read out on television to mark the Islamic New Year on Tuesday, Saddam told his people that if they kept their faith they would emerge victorious from any military showdown with the US. "The fruit of your faith and your patience will be victory over your enemy. God willing, the believers will achieve victory over the tyrant and his associates," said the Iraqi leader, referring to the US President George W Bush and his close international allies. "The tyrant of this era thinks that he is an alternative to God and is his shadow on earth. The tyrant imagines himself, God forbid, as God." The letter, which was read out by a television presenter, came as Washington announced it was deploying thousands more troops to the Gulf in preparation for war.