"Chemical Ali" will be executed in Baghdad

The execution of the cousin of the former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein Ali Hassan El-Majad, better known to the nickname “Chemical Ali,” and two other members of the former Iraqi regime will be held in Baghdad, according to the Iraqi newspaper As-Sabakh, said the representative of the Iraqi government Ali Dabbag.

El-Majid, as well as the former Minister of Defense of Iraq, Sultan Hashim Ahmed and former commander of one of the army brigades Hussein Rashid Austikriti, were sentenced on June 24 to death for their role in 1987-88 in Kurdistan Operation Al-Antas.

During it, the Iraqi army killed about 182 thousand people and destroyed almost 3 thousand Kurdish villages. During this campaign against residents of the city of Halabja, chemical weapons were used, as a result of which 5 thousand Kurds were killed, including children and women.

For this, El-Majid, who led Al-Antal operation, received the nickname "Chemical Ali", becoming for the Kurds of one of the most hated figures in the former Iraqi regime.

Immediately after the verdict, they started talking about the fact that Chemical Ali would be executed in Kurdistan, possibly in the city of Halabja. This was stated, in particular, representatives of the Iraqi government. However, in order to avoid the possible curvature of the Iraq authorities, they still decided not to conduct execution in Kurdistan.

"The execution of El Majid will take place in Baghdad, and not in Kurdistan so that she does not look like revenge," said Dubbag. As for the terms of execution, it will take place, as noted in the message, after the decision of the court of appeal. One month is assigned to appeal the court decision under the Iraqi legislation.