Saddam Hussein’s daughter Raghad, seen here at a protest in 2007, says she is joyous at seeing the Iraqi government defeats at the hands of Islamic militants. Photo: AP
By Alexander Whitcomb and Halat Rebwar
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Raghad Saddam Hussein, exiled daughter of the former Iraqi dictator who was ousted in 2003 and later hanged, expressed joy at the Iraqi military collapse against an Islamist onslaught.
“I am happy to see all these victories,” she told the Al-Quds newspaper in Jordan, after militants captured Tikrit, her father’s hometown. “These are victories of my father’s fighters and my uncle Izzat Al-Douri,” she added, referring to the leader of the Iraqi Baathist Party, which is officially banned by the government.
Al-Douri has been identified as the main commander of former Baathists, who have partnered with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to capture Mosul, Tikrit, and other predominantly Sunni cities. He was a senior military commander and vice president under Saddam, and avoided capture by US-led coalition forces following the dictator’s collapse in 2003.
Raghad, Saddam’s eldest daughter, was confident the militants would successfully undermine the current government.
“I am relieved. Someday, I will return to Iraq and visit my father’s grave,” she said. “Maybe it won’t happen very soon, but it will certainly happen.”
In 2006, the freshly-elected Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki placed Raghad and al-Douri on a “wanted list” of prominent Baathist figures. Al-Douri topped the list, and Raghad was number 16.
Al-Douri evaded capture and formed several brigades that were active in the insurgency campaign against Iraq’s post-Saddam government and US occupying forces. He was thought to have resided in Syria, Qatar and within the country itself at various stages, before resurfacing in the latest conflict over the last days.
Jordan granted Raghad and her children asylum for “humanitarian reasons.” Months later, her father was executed for crimes against humanity, and the Iraqi government denied her request for his body to be buried in Yemen, pending the withdrawal of international forces.
In mid-2007, international police agency Interpol issued a warrant for her arrest, charging her and her associates with involvement in insurgent activity.