The defection of Hussein Kamel, son-in-law of the late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, was one of the prominent events that received wide coverage from the Arab and international press for months between 1995 and 1996 in the midst of the international embargo imposed on the country at the time, as he was his security arm, the Minister of Military Industrialization and the supervisor of the Guard Forces. Republican, which was considered the elite forces in the Iraqi army.
The incident of his killing while returning to Iraq after being pardoned constituted a prominent paradox in the course of Saddam Hussein's rule. Many reasons marred these events between personal and clan interactions, accusations of treason and attempts to overthrow the regime in Baghdad.
Hussein Kamel (right) was included in several sensitive security positions due to his closeness to Saddam (agencies)
His biography and upbringing
Hussein Kamel Hassan al-Majid was born on June 18, 1954 in the village of Tal al-Dahab in the city of Tikrit in Salah al-Din Governorate (north of Baghdad), and belongs to the same clan as Saddam Hussein, as Hussein Kamel's father is Saddam Hussein's cousin from the al-Majid family.
Hussein Kamel did not complete his studies, he left it in 1966 and was in the last stage of primary school, then in 1974 his father’s cousin Saddam Hussein (who was Vice President of the Republic at the time) appointed him to his guard, and in 1979 he completed a reserve officer course and graduated with the rank of First lieutenant, according to writer and historian Waseem Al-Ani, who assures Al-Jazeera Net that Hussein is Kamel, and since Saddam agreed to marry him off his daughter Raghad in 1983, promotions and military ranks have showered him with promotions and ranks.
Mustafa Kamel: Hussein Kamel supervised the development of the Republican Guard forces (Al-Jazeera)
his security positions
Hussein Kamel was one of the few that Saddam Hussein trusted in the security joints of the country, as because of his kinship and proximity to the president and his strength and influence, he rose in many sensitive security positions until he assumed the position of Minister of Military Industrialization between 1987 and 1995, in addition to his supervision of the Republican Guard.
Mustafa Kamel, editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Consultations", says that Hussein Kamel was not the first founder of the Republican Guard, as this force had been established in the sixties of the last century, but he assumed supervision of it after the mid-eighties, and during his reign it was strengthened and expanded and its levels of combat and armament were raised , which was reflected in the course of the war with Iran (1980-1988) in its last years.
Historian Waseem al-Ani goes with this view, who believes that since Hussein Kamel Barghad’s marriage, Saddam’s confidence in him increased and he assigned him to supervise the Republican Guard forces, as the number of guard brigades increased and the weapons he possessed developed until he became the largest and most powerful force within the Iraqi army.
Al-Ani - who is the author of the book "The History of Military Coups in Iraq" - continues that with the passage of time Saddam's confidence in Hussein Kamel increased, and gave him the rank of first lieutenant general to become the first official in charge of the Iraqi nuclear program in the early nineties.
As for the Iraqi military industrialization, Mustafa Kamel - who held the position of editor-in-chief of the official Al-Jumhuriya newspaper (before the US invasion of the country in 2003) indicates that Saddam's son-in-law played a major role in the development of military industrialization because of the wide powers that he had, in addition to the possibilities The colossal thing that was placed in his hands.
Jordanian television during the announcement that Hussein Kamel and his brother were granted political asylum in 1995 (Reuters)
fleeing to Jordan
A great mystery was shrouded in the motives and reasons for the departure of Hussein Kamel and his brother Saddam, brother-in-law of the late Iraqi president, 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.
Hussein Kamel's escape to Jordan constituted a heavy-caliber surprise for the Iraqi regime and Saddam Hussein's clan, according to security expert Majid al-Qaisi, who attributes the reasons for his and his brothers' flight to Jordan to the great differences between him and Saddam's son Uday.
Historian Al-Ani confirms this argument by saying that on August 9, 1995 Hussein Kamel and his brothers, wives and children left for Jordan, and he was then Minister of Military Industrialization because of family disputes between him and Uday and Qusay, Saddam’s two sons, on the one hand, and the rest of the family on the other hand, as well as because of his planning to overthrow Saddam and seize to judge in any way.
Realizing his inability to turn against Saddam from the inside and Uday's standing against his ambitions, Hussein Kamel decided to leave Iraq in order to obtain Western support, which he did not succeed in, according to Al-Ani. However, during his stay in Jordan, he disclosed all sensitive secrets related to Iraqi armament programs.
Returning to Hussain Kamel's daughter Harir, she confirms in her book that her father's dispute with her uncles Uday and Qusay and some family members, and her father's fear for his life, pushed him to leave for Jordan.
As for the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Conviews”, he believes that Hussein Kamel’s departure from Iraq was apparently related to a family dispute with some of Saddam Hussein’s relatives, but the matter was exploited extensively politically and from external parties, pointing out that what is evidenced by this is that Hussein held the entire press conference. The famous in Raghadan Palace in the Jordanian capital, Amman, only 3 days after his arrival in this country.
Mustafa Kamel continues that Hussein Kamel was a planner for what he did in advance, citing his statements and announcing the defection from the government 3 days after his arrival in Amman, which caused the re-inspection of Iraqi weapons to zero due to his disclosure of Iraq’s secrets and its weapons systems, at a time when all Indications at that time confirm the imminence of a major breakthrough on the issue of the comprehensive siege that was imposed on Iraq (1990-2003).
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 defection 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 of by 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 can dispute 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.
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 family disputes and Uday’s interference with everyone in the family.
Regarding the external reason, Al-Sabawi does not rule out the contact 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 armament 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 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, as he knows the depth and core of the secrets, and for this he was useful to America, because he has secrets that no one else has in Saddam's government, and no one knows them except him and the late president, including the tasks he was assigned to them. 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 inspection committees of the United Nations, which 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 caused 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 it and knows their locations, so by disclosing these secrets, the inspection teams returned and their position is strong, as they possess information and evidence about the location of these documents and about 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 (the first standing from the left) was responsible for protecting Saddam, his family and all the institutions of the Republican Palace (Reuters)
his last days
After several attempts in which Hussein Kamel failed to obtain Western support to change the regime in Iraq or help him overthrow it, and after Saddam offered him an official pardon in return for his return, he decided to return on February 20, 1996.
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.
He adds, "It was the naivety of Hussein Kamel that he believed Saddam Hussein's pledge to pardon him and quickly returned to Iraq.
Regarding 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 the evening of 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 told them you gave me safety, so what was the reason for these movements? The crowd continued until four in the morning, when the attack began on the house using internationally prohibited gases and 52 RPGs. 7- “Intense 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, when 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 house was completely 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.
Returning to Al-Qaisi, he indicates in his speech to Al-Jazeera Net that if Hussein Kamel had received Western or American support, he would not have returned to Iraq, but the Western parties discovered that he did not constitute a difficult number in Iraq and was not loved, and therefore did not receive the support that he aspired to.
Harir mentions in her book that Izz al-Din al-Majid (a cousin of Saddam) - who had gone with Hussein Kamel to Jordan - warned her father against returning and told him that he would be killed if he returned, but he did not listen to these warnings and insisted on returning to Iraq, confirming that her father was almost certain. than he will kill.
Hussein Kamel was killed 3 days after his return from Jordan to Baghdad (French)
ambiguous pardon
Returning to journalist Mustafa Kamel, he believes that the official pardon for Hussein Kamel may have been real and was not a trap, but the matter came out of the authority of the state to the authority of the clan that wanted to punish its son, and that the enormous damage Hussain Kamel caused to Iraq could not and should not be pardoned .
Regarding his killing or persecution, he continues that Hussein Kamel did not read the situation well, and did not understand the explicit signals that reached him from his relatives in Baghdad, especially since his wife Raghad told him that the matter would not be smooth and would not end in the way he imagined, and that there was a punishment awaiting him.
As for Harir, she remembers that her father was killed 3 days after his return to Baghdad, specifically on February 23, 1996, in a battle that took place between Hussein Kamel, his brothers and his father on the one hand, and a group of security forces that surrounded the house he lived in in the Saydiyah area of Baghdad on the one hand. Another, where the battle began at three in the morning and lasted for 12 continuous hours, during which Hussein Kamel's two brothers, his father, and all the children and women who were with him, were killed. Hussein Kamel was the last to be killed after resisting the attackers for long hours and running out of ammunition.
This story is confirmed by the historian Al-Ani, who said that whoever killed Hussein Kamel and participated in the long battle against him were his clan, as Ali Hassan al-Majid (Uncle of Saddam Hussein and uncle of Hussein Kamel) was at the head of the force, noting that the battle witnessed the use of dozens of RPGs. (RBG) and various types of weapons.