Saddam Hussein: Difference between revisions

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For the next six years, Iran was on the offensive until near the end of the war. After accusing Kurdish forces of allying with Iran, he ordered his cousin [[Ali Hassan al-Majid]] to gas Kurdish forces in Northern Iraq. Iraqi Air Force helicopters rained chemical weapons – including mustard gas, Sarin, and VX nerve gas – upon scores of Kurdish villages, causing tens of thousands of Kurds as well as several Assyrians nearby to die from suffocation and burning.

The Anfal ~~campaign led~~ to the destruction of thousands of villages, the deportation of thousands of Kurds to southern and central Iraq, and the deaths of over 100,000 Kurds. The campaign takes its name from Surah al-Anfal in the Qur'an (the holy book of Islam), which describes the spoils of war. The campaign was also directed against other minority communities in the country including Assyrians, Shabaks, Yazidis, Jews, Mandaeans and Turkmens, and the villages of these ethnic groups were destroyed. An estimated 50,000 to 182,000 people were killed.

The [[Anfal Genocide]] to the destruction of thousands of villages, the deportation of thousands of Kurds to southern and central Iraq, and the deaths of over 100,000 Kurds. The campaign takes its name from Surah al-Anfal in the Qur'an (the holy book of Islam), which describes the spoils of war. The campaign was also directed against other minority communities in the country including Assyrians, Shabaks, Yazidis, Jews, Mandaeans and Turkmens, and the villages of these ethnic groups were destroyed. An estimated 50,000 to 182,000 people were killed.

After many uprisings in southern Iraq by Shia as well as Marsh Arabs, Saddam ordered the marches around the Tigris and Euphrates to be drained, causing the marshes to become desert. Dams and canals were built to divert the rivers away from the marshlands. Thousands of Marsh Arabs either died due to the drought, killed, or displaced. It was believed that his son [[Qusay Hussein|Qusay]] helped squash the uprisings. By 2000, it was estimated that 90% of the marshes had disappeared. Although there have been efforts to reflood the marshes, the droughts still affect southern Iraq today. This was labeled as one of the worst environmental disasters in modern history.

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 For the next six years, Iran was on the offensive until near the end of the war. After accusing Kurdish forces of allying with Iran, he ordered his cousin [[Ali Hassan al-Majid]] to gas Kurdish forces in Northern Iraq. Iraqi Air Force helicopters rained chemical weapons – including mustard gas, Sarin, and VX nerve gas – upon scores of Kurdish villages, causing tens of thousands of Kurds as well as several Assyrians nearby to die from suffocation and burning.
-The Anfal campaign led to the destruction of thousands of villages, the deportation of thousands of Kurds to southern and central Iraq, and the deaths of over 100,000 Kurds. The campaign takes its name from Surah al-Anfal in the Qur'an (the holy book of Islam), which describes the spoils of war. The campaign was also directed against other minority communities in the country including Assyrians, Shabaks, Yazidis, Jews, Mandaeans and Turkmens, and the villages of these ethnic groups were destroyed. An estimated 50,000 to 182,000 people were killed.
+The [[Anfal Genocide]] to the destruction of thousands of villages, the deportation of thousands of Kurds to southern and central Iraq, and the deaths of over 100,000 Kurds. The campaign takes its name from Surah al-Anfal in the Qur'an (the holy book of Islam), which describes the spoils of war. The campaign was also directed against other minority communities in the country including Assyrians, Shabaks, Yazidis, Jews, Mandaeans and Turkmens, and the villages of these ethnic groups were destroyed. An estimated 50,000 to 182,000 people were killed.
 After many uprisings in southern Iraq by Shia as well as Marsh Arabs, Saddam ordered the marches around the Tigris and Euphrates to be drained, causing the marshes to become desert. Dams and canals were built to divert the rivers away from the marshlands. Thousands of Marsh Arabs either died due to the drought, killed, or displaced. It was believed that his son [[Qusay Hussein|Qusay]] helped squash the uprisings. By 2000, it was estimated that 90% of the marshes had disappeared. Although there have been efforts to reflood the marshes, the droughts still affect southern Iraq today. This was labeled as one of the worst environmental disasters in modern history.