What do you think this quote means, "I would rather kill my friends in error, than allow my enemies to live."?

According to the movie "Fair Game" supposedly this is a quote from Saddam Hussein..."I would rather kill my friends in error, than allow my enemies to live." I can't quite interpret it into any meaningful conclusion. It's just pretty confusing, he would rather have his friends die than his enemies die, or is it that he would be willing to let his friends die in error as long as his enemies are all dead. Any thoughts on this?