Saddam Hussein

Saddam Hussein was born in a village near the city of Tikrīt, Iraq. At a young age, he moved to Baghdad to live with his uncle.

In October 1956, Saddam Hussein becomes a member of the Baath party, marking the beginning of his political career.

In 1957, Saddam Hussein joined the Baʿath Party, a significant political move that would shape his future in Iraqi politics.

Saddam Hussein is a member of the Baath assassination squad that ambushes Iraq's military leader, General Abdel-Karim Kassem, riddling his car with bullets. Kassem is wounded but survives. Saddam, wounded in the leg, flees Iraq and spends the next four years in Syria and Egypt.

Saddam Hussein returns to Iraq after helping the Arab Baath Socialist Party organize a coup that overthrows and kills General Abdel-Karim Kassem. After a short run in power, the Baath government is overthrown by a group of military officers.

In October 1964, Saddam Hussein was arrested and served approximately two years in prison before escaping in 1966.

Baathists and like-minded army officers overthrow the Arif regime. Saddam's cousin, Gen. Ahmad Hasan al-Bakr, becomes president. Saddam becomes Iraq's second most powerful leader, taking charge of internal security and building a security apparatus that infiltrates all corners of Iraqi society.

Rana Hussein, Saddam's second daughter, fled to Jordan and stood up for her father's rights. She has four children and was married to Saddam Kamel.

In 1976, Saddam rose to the position of general in the Iraqi armed forces and rapidly became the strongman of the government. As the elderly al-Bakr became unable to execute his duties, Saddam took on an increasingly prominent role as the face of the government both internally and externally.

Saddam Hussein takes over as president of Iraq after pushing his cousin, President al-Bakr, to resign. He purges the Baath Party, eliminating his rivals in a power grab captured on videotape.

A year after the Islamic revolution in Iran, Saddam Hussein orders Iraqi troops to invade Iran, leading to an eight-year war that resulted in immense casualties and economic hardship for both countries.

Surviving an assassination attempt in Dujail, Saddam Hussein's security forces retaliate by attacking the town, resulting in the arrest of 1,500 residents and the execution of nearly 150 individuals.

Saddam married his second wife, Samira Shahbandar, in 1986 after forcing her previous husband to divorce her. She is believed to be the mother of Saddam's sixth child.

In July 1987, Saddam Hussein visited a trench on the Saaif Saab front during the Iraq-Iran war.

In March 28, 1988, Saddam Hussein orders the use of chemical weapons against the Kurdish town of Halabja, resulting in the deaths of approximately 5,000 civilians.

Saddam Hussein, with the fourth-largest army in the world and a program to build weapons of mass destruction, threatens Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates due to Iraq's financial struggles after the war with Iran.

On August 2, 1990, Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi dictator, launched an invasion of Kuwait, a small oil-producing country in the Persian Gulf. This action prompted a swift response from the international community.

On August 8, 1990, Kuwait formally became the 19th Governorate of Iraq after an announcement of a 'merger' between the two countries.

Beginning on January 16, 1991, a US-led coalition launched round-the-clock missile and aerial attacks on Iraq in response to Saddam Hussein ignoring the Security Council deadline.

On January 17, 1991, Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein, is attacked by a US-led coalition under George Bush Senior, resulting in the liberation of Kuwait within a month.

On March 6, 1991, US President George H. W. Bush announced a 'new world order' after the successful ejection of Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

On April 3, 1991, the United Nations passes Resolution 687, which creates a commission to inspect Iraqi weapons facilities as part of the effort to disarm Saddam Hussein.

Hussein Kamel, a high-ranking Iraqi general and Saddam's son-in-law, defects to Jordan and discloses Iraq's hidden biological weapons program to the chief U.N. arms inspector. This revelation leads to the discovery and destruction of Iraq's germ warfare production facility.

In 1996, Saddam Hussein's father-in-law ordered the killing of two sons-in-law who had defected to Jordan and revealed details of Iraq's weapons programs. Despite receiving guarantees of safety upon their return to Baghdad, they were murdered by a mob.

Saddam Hussein ends Iraqi cooperation with UNSCOM and accuses the U.N. of espionage. UNSCOM Chairman Richard Butler reports Iraqi refusal to cooperate with inspectors. President Clinton orders Operation Desert Fox, a four-day bombardment of key Iraqi military installations without U.N. Security Council approval.

In March 2003, President Bush issued an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein and his sons, giving them 48 hours to leave Iraq or face the full force of the American military. The Iraqi leadership rejected the ultimatum.

On April 9, 2003, Iraq's regime collapsed as U.S. forces entered central Baghdad. Residents celebrated as a large statue of Saddam Hussein was toppled.

Saddam Hussein is pictured with his sons Uday and Qusay.

Uday and Qusay Hussein, Saddam's sons, are killed by US troops in a raid on a house in Mosul.

Saddam Hussein was captured by American forces in Operation Red Dawn after being found hiding in a hole in the ground near a farmhouse in ad-Dawr, near Tikrit.

Saddam Hussein, the former President of Iraq, is captured by U.S. forces near his hometown of Tikrit, marking a significant event in the aftermath of the Iraq War.

On June 30, 2004, Saddam Hussein was symbolically handed over to Iraqi authorities by the U.S., transitioning him from a prisoner of war to a criminal defendant under Iraqi law. This change granted him legal rights.

On July 17, 2005, the Iraqi tribunal filed charges against Saddam Hussein in the Dujail case. This legal action marked a significant step towards holding the former dictator accountable for his actions.

Saddam's trial for the 1982 killing of 148 Shia men in Dujail begins after a failed assassination attempt on the president.

Saddam's principal defense lawyer, Khamis Al-Obeidi, is abducted and killed by men in police uniforms, becoming the third member of the defense team to be murdered.

The Anfal trial begins where Saddam is accused of killing thousands of Kurdish civilians in 1988.

Saddam Hussein is found guilty and sentenced to death for crimes against humanity.

On December 26, 2006, Iraq's highest appeals court confirms the death sentence for Saddam Hussein for the 1982 massacre of 148 Shiites in Dujail. The chief appeals court judge orders Saddam to be hanged within 30 days.

The timeline showcases Saddam Hussein's history of using violence for political purposes, including key events leading to his trial, death sentence, and eventual execution.

On December 30, 2006, Saddam Hussein is taken to the gallows and hanged following the upheld death sentence. The execution of Saddam marks the end of a long and controversial chapter in Iraq's history.

Saddam Hussein was buried at his birthplace in Al-Awja, Tikrit, Iraq on December 31, 2006, near his sons Uday and Qusay Hussein. His tomb was later reported to have been destroyed.