Iran,
and not Saddam Hussein, was responsible for the
killing of tens of thousands of Kurds and Shi'ites,
a lawyer for the deposed Iraqi dictator said in
comments published on Tuesday.
Issam Ghazzawi, who is part of Saddam's defence
team, told the daily Die Presse that "Iran is
responsible for the murders of the Kurds" killed by
poison gas in 1988.
"Iraq did not possess poison gas at this time," the
lawyer was quoted as saying.
Iran also was responsible for the mass killings of
Shi'ites who rose against Saddam in 1991, Ghazzawi
reportedly said.
More than 100,000 Kurds were estimated to have been
killed by Saddam's troops in 1988, including about
5000 who were gassed to death in the Kurd city of
Halabja and 8000 members of a powerful clan who were
reportedly rounded up and shot.
Up to 100,000 Shi'ites were killed, along with tens
of thousands of Kurds, when Saddam moved to stamp
out a rebellion after the first Gulf War in 1991.
AP
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Former dictator
Saddam Hussein
Photo : AP |
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