Saddam Hussein Charged for Anfal Campaign

April 4, 2006
Baghdad, Iraq- CNN reported that Saddam Hussein was charged with genocide today, stemming from the Anfal Campaign that Hussein and his government undertook in the late 1980s. This is the first charge of genocide for Hussein, who is currently on trial for crimes against humanity, after a failed assassination attempt in Dujail, a village north of Baghdad. The charge of genocide comes after years of investigation into the campaign against the Kurds in the northern territories of Iraq. Along with Hussein, there are six other men named in the indictment, including Ali Hassan Al-Majeed, known as “Chemical Ali.” The numbers of Kurds killed during Anfal is staggering and ranges from 50,000 to 200,000, many of whom died from gas attacks. One such example was an attack on the city of Halabja, where an estimated 5,000 people died due to gassing. There is no date set for the start of the trial, but it could possibly start as early as next month.

According to CNN, “Hussein could face up to 20 trials on various charges, including the 1991 suppression of the Shiite uprising in southern Iraq.”
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