A great mystery shrouded the motives and reasons for the departure of Hussein Kamel and his brother Saddam, the brother-in-law of the late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, the truth of the secrets he disclosed more than a quarter of a century ago, and their repercussions on Iraq.

Days after they left Iraq and arrived in Jordan with their wives, Hussein Kamel held a press conference on August 12, 1995, in which he announced the start of his moves to overthrow the regime in Baghdad. These statements caused an uproar in the local and international media.

Al-Jumaili considered that Kamel's escape and the secrets he revealed were one of the reasons for the deterioration of the situation in Iraq today (Al-Jazeera)

earthquake and shock

Hussein Kamel's split caused an earthquake in the entity of the Iraqi state and a shock to the state's cadres and the Ba'ath party, as it was not thought to anyone and could not be believed even after it happened, because the man was Raghad's husband - Saddam's daughter - and the object of his absolute trust in which no one disputes him, even from The sons of the late Iraqi president himself, according to former Iraqi intelligence officer Salem al-Jumaili.

Al-Jumaili shows - to Al-Jazeera Net - that Kamel held the highest positions in the state, starting from the director of the private security apparatus to the military industrialization, then the Minister of Defense and Oil, and criticism was directed at President Saddam because of the role that Hussein Kamel received and the support he received, as he had absolute powers.

The former intelligence officer indicates that after Hussein Kamel appeared on television calling for the overthrow of the regime, strict orders were issued by Saddam to the intelligence and private security services to determine his relations and contacts inside Iraq, investigate those close to him, and monitor all communications that come from him into Iraq.

Hussein Kamel during his asylum in Jordan in the mid-nineties of the last century (French)

A rift or a rift?

In turn, Sheikh Hadi Jabbar al-Mahmoud, Hussein Kamel's brother-in-law and close confidant, denied the accusations of treason and dissent against Kamel, and said that he left Iraq for special circumstances imposed on him, related to attempts to assassinate him and subjected him to many harassment and many insults despite his high positions.

Al-Mahmoud explained - to Al-Jazeera Net - that they went out naturally with their cars and official passports, and even upon his return he returned as an official in the state and gave directions to border officials, denying all reports that talked about his coordination with US intelligence to arrange his exit from Iraq.

Al-Mahmoud expressed his regret over the mishandling of the official Iraqi position at the time, when they stigmatized Hussein Kamel with treason and labor and accused him of theft and that he hid things in his private farm and so on.

As for the historical researcher and political analyst Hussein Saleh Al-Sabawi, he attributes a complete schism to two reasons, the first is internal, which is the family dispute between them, especially with Uday, Saddam’s eldest son, because he considered himself the successor to his father and considered the presence of Hussein Kamel an obstacle to that, in addition to the differences and family rifts and Uday’s blatant interference with everyone. in the family.

Regarding the external reason, Al-Sabawi does not rule out the communication between the American intelligence services and the Israeli Mossad with Hussein Kamel, either directly or indirectly, and he may have obtained promises from them that would satisfy him with temptations or threats, given that the regime will collapse and he will bear full responsibility.

Al-Alawi: Hussein Kamel revealed dangerous secrets on the subject of the Iraqi arms program and nuclear scientists (Al-Jazeera)

serious secrets

Kamel revealed dangerous secrets about the Iraqi armament program and nuclear scientists, and gave a lot of information in this regard, as his exit from the heart of power was a major event that the US intelligence used to communicate with him and interrogate him, says political thinker Hassan Al-Alawi.

Speaking to Al-Jazeera Net, Al-Alawi confirms complete knowledge of military secrets forbidden to others. And people arrested, and letters sent to countries and groups working with Iraq in the Persian Gulf and elsewhere, revealed all of them. For this reason, Hussein Kamel's exit was the most serious crisis that Saddam Hussein went through.

Regarding the most prominent of these secrets, Salem Al-Jumaili says that Kamel leaked archive information containing more than 5 million documents about a secret Iraqi nuclear program that Iraq did not disclose to the United Nations inspection committees that were tasked with disarming Iraq, and he was hidden in a poultry field on his farm Hussein Kamel in the Suwaira area south of Baghdad, and soon the inspection committees went to the place and took hold of the files, which completely lost the confidence of the United Nations in Iraq, and this was an opportunity for the United States to put more pressure on Iraq and prolong the sanctions.

repercussions of recognition

Al-Sabawi talks about serious repercussions produced by the defection of Hussein Kamel - as the most important military and civilian figure who has information about the military industrialization in Iraq, whether missile or chemical - by virtue of his position as head of the Military Industrialization Authority, then Minister of Industrialization and Defense, as well as working as director of the private security apparatus responsible for protecting Saddam and his family And all the institutions of the Republican Palace.

He notes that Hussein Kamel provided important information to the international intelligence and inspection committees, because he is the first responsible for them and knows their locations, so by revealing these secrets, the inspection teams returned and their position is strong, as they possess information and evidence about the location of these documents, companies, countries and experts working in the field of manufacturing, who were liquidated Or the arrest of most of them after the US invasion of the country in 2003.

He continues that Kamel's confessions made the Iraqi state in a weak position, and its demand to lift the siege imposed on Iraq after the invasion of Kuwait on the second of August 1990 became weaker, which led to prolonging the life of the siege on the people and weakening Iraq's position in front of its supporters.

This view is shared by Jumaili, who considered that Hussein Kamel's escape and the secrets he revealed were one of the main reasons for the state of Iraq today.

Hussein Kamel (first standing from the right) was responsible for protecting Saddam, his family, and all the institutions of the Republican Palace (French)

his last days

Al-Sabawi points out that after Kamel gave everything he had to the enemies of Iraq, he was left alone and no one cared about him at that time, and he realized his involvement with parties greater than him who did not give him what he wanted, and that is why he lived his last days in Jordan in isolation.

He adds, "It is the naivety of Hussein Kamel that he believed Saddam Hussein's pledge to pardon him and quickly returned to Iraq.

On the reasons that led to the liquidation of Hussein Kamel, his sister, Manahil Kamel, says that this is due to "the strong jealousy of his relatives when they saw his successes, so they began to fight him, and covet his positions, as Uday Saddam Hussein coveted military industrialization, while Qusay Saddam Hussein coveted to supervise the Republican Guard".

And Manahil revealed - to Al Jazeera Net - that her brothers Hussein and Saddam Kamel, upon their return from Jordan, felt that there was something in secret that was being hatched against them, so they went to their sister's house in the Sidiya area in Baghdad, while their clan was holding continuous meetings so that Uday Saddam Hussein issued orders to move immediately to kill Hussein Kamel. and his brother Saddam Kamel on Thursday evening, February 23, 1996, 3 days before the scheduled date for fear of his escape.

She continues by saying, "The crowding began near the house in which Hussein Kamel was from the time of sunset. He (Hussain) told them you gave me safety, so what was the reason for these moves? The crowd continued until four in the morning, when the attack began on the house using internationally prohibited gases, and 52 shells." "RPG-7" and heavy gunfire smashed the house on its occupants, and the bodies of women and children were charred.

Manahil recalled that "her brother continued to resist for long hours, and he used to tie his wounds with wood and move between the walls of the neighboring houses until the equipment ran out the next day, as the attack was carried out by elements of the elite forces represented by the Republican Guard, the Special Guard, the emergency department, and the army, and after the confrontation ended, the entire house was bulldozed." .

Hussein Kamel's sister ruled out that this happened without Saddam Hussein's knowledge, especially since the number of relatives who participated in the attack was more than 30 people.