saddam hussein

Sadaam’s Rise to Power

April 28, 1937 Saddam Hussein is born near Tikrit
1955 Moves to Baghdad
1956 Joins the Arab Baath Socialist Party
1957 Denied admission to the Baghdad Military Academy
1959 Attempts to assassinate the prime minister of Iraq and is sentenced to death, although he later escapes to Syria and then to Egypt
1962-1963 Studies law in Cairo, but does not earn a degree
Feb. 8, 1963 Returns to Iraq after the Ramadan Revolution and is elected to the Baath Party
July 1968 Participates in a coup to overthrow Iraq's president and the regime
Nov. 9, 1969 Elected vice chairman of the Revolution Command Council
June 1, 1972 Nationalizes all of the oil companies in Iraq
March 11, 1974 Helps implement the 'Autonomy Law' for Iraqi Kurdish Citizens, who are forced to go to Iran
July 16, 1979 Elected president of Iraq and chairman of Revolution Command Council.

Regional Conflict

Sept. 4, 1980 Initiates a war with Iran
1982 Former President Ahmed Hassan Bakr dies mysteriously. It is widely suspected that Hussein was involved
1987-1988 Saddam launches the Anfal Campaign against the Kurds: 180,000 Kurds disappear and 4,000 villages are destroyed
March 1988 The Kurdish town of Halabaja is gassed: 5,000 people are killed and 10,000 are injured
Aug. 8, 1988 Agrees to a ceasefire with Iran. Iraq wins the conflict
August 1988 Kurdish villages on the Turkish border are gassed. Thousands die

1^st Gulf War

Aug. 2, 1990 Saddam seizes Kuwait
Jan. 16, 1991 The United States bombs Baghdad
February 1991 President George H.W. Bush declares a ceasefire; the Persian Gulf War ends
1993 Saddam breaks the peace terms from the end of the Persian Gulf War. The U.S. bombs Iraq
October 1998 Saddam fails to comply with United Nations weapons inspectors, resulting in a four-day bombing raid by the United States
1999 Throughout the year continual airstrikes on Iraq
2000 It is reported that Saddam has used humanitarian funds to build presidential palaces and personal enrichment

2^nd Gulf War

2002 Saddam allows U.N. weapons inspectors to return to Iraq
February 2003 Dan Rather interviews Saddam, who says he would not go into exile, claims Iraq does not have any weapons that go against U.N. resolutions
March 19, 2003 The United States and other Coalition forces start bombing campaign in an effort to remove Saddam Hussein and his regime from power
April 9, 2003 Baghdad falls to U.S.-led forces; Saddam's whereabouts unknown
July 22, 2003 Saddam's sons and henchmen, Uday and Qusay, are killed in a firefight with U.S. troops
Dec. 14, 2003 Saddam is captured by U.S. forces
Oct. 19, 2005 Saddam goes on trial in Baghdad. He questions the validity of the court that will try him and his seven co-defendants. All plead not guilty to charges of ordering the killing of 148 Shias from the village of Dujail.
Aug 21, 2006 Saddam and six other defendants are put on trial for mass killings in the so-called 'Anfal Campaign' of 1987-88
Nov. 5, 2006 Saddam Hussein is found guilty of crimes against humanity for the killing of 148 Shias in Dujail in 1982. He is sentenced to death
Dec. 26, 2006 Iraq's highest appeals court upholds Saddam's death sentence

President Bush Statement on Saddam Hussein's Execution

 

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 29, 2006 – President Bush today issued the following statement from Crawford, Texas:

Today, Saddam Hussein was executed after receiving a fair trial – the kind of justice he denied the victims of his brutal regime.

Fair trials were unimaginable under Saddam Hussein’s tyrannical rule. It is a testament to the Iraqi people’s resolve to move forward after decades of repression that, despite his terrible crimes against his own people, Saddam Hussein received a fair trial. This would not have been possible without the Iraqi people’s determination to create a society governed by the rule of law.

Saddam Hussein’s execution comes at the end of a difficult year for the Iraqi people and for our troops. Bringing Saddam Hussein to justice will not end the violence in Iraq, but it is an important milestone on Iraq’s course to becoming a democracy that can govern, sustain, and defend itself, and be an ally in the War on Terror.

We are reminded today of how far the Iraqi people have come since the end of Saddam Hussein’s rule – and that the progress they have made would not have been possible without the continued service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform.

Many difficult choices and further sacrifices lie ahead. Yet the safety and security of the American people require that we not relent in ensuring that Iraq’s young democracy continues to progress.