Ali Hassan al-Majid

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Ali Hassan al-Majid (Arabic: علي حسن الماجد) (born 1941), is an fomer Iraqi official and commander. A first cousin of former President Saddam Hussein, he was the Defense Minister of Iraq.

1 Anfal and the Gulf War
2 After Gulf War
3 2003 Gulf War
4 Trial
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Anfal and the Gulf War

He has been called Chemical Ali and the Butcher of Kurdistan for his role in leading the al-Anfal Campaign during which he allegedly ordered a chemical weapons attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja that killed thousands of Kurds (see Halabja poison gas attack).

He oversaw the occupation of Kuwait in 1990 and 1991 and acted as the the country's military governor from August to November of 1990. He had a lead role in violently repressing the rebellions by Kurds and Shiites in the 1991 Iraqi civil war following the Gulf War.

[edit] After Gulf War

Considered a war criminal by human rights groups, he was placed by Saddam Hussein in charge of southern Iraq to quell any civilian uprisings and military mutinies. [1] "He is a senior adviser to Saddam. He is known as an enforcer for the regime," said a U.S. intelligence official, who asked not to be named. "He is used to put down uprisings and maintain order." [2]. In this role in which he took the title 'Commander of the Southern Region' he violently repressed a 1999 revolt against Saddam's regime which, according to a recent Human Rights Watch report, resulted in the death of hundreds of young Shiite men and their burial in mass graves around Basra. [3]

[edit] 2003 Gulf War

An investigative hearing is held for Ali Hassan al-Majid

Al-Majid had been mistakenly thought to have died in April of 2003, following the US-led 2003 Invasion of Iraq. After a coalition attack on his house in Basra, he was reported to have been killed by laser-guided bombs. "Major Andrew Jackson, of the 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment, said that the body was found along with that of his bodyguard and the head of Iraqi intelligence services in Basra." [4]

It turned out that U.K. military officials spoke too soon. In June 2003, al-Majid's status was changed from "...believed dead but unconfirmed" to "unknown" by U.S. defense officials, saying he might still be alive after all. He was rumored to have been joking and smiling in a Baghdad hospital on the day that it fell. This proved to be a justified doubt - U.S. officials confirmed on August 21, 2003 that he had been captured alive. He was prominent (fifth) on the U.S. list of most-wanted Iraqis and is the King of Spades in the deck of most-wanted Iraqi playing cards.

[edit] Trial

Al-Majid will stand trial for his alleged role in many of the above mentioned actions before the Iraq Special Tribunal (IST), set up by the Iraq Interim Government charged with crimes against humanity and genocide.