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The Pyramid of Skulls: How Saddam Hussein Came to Power
(February 20, 2003) When Genghis Khan's grandson, Hualagu Khan captured Baghdad in 1258, he used fear to strengthen his rule over Iraq by killing every poet, scholar, military, civic and religious leader in the city. Hualagu piled their heads into a pyramid of skulls, topped by the head of their former ruler, the last Abassid Caliph. And some seven centuries later, Saddam Hussein did much the same thing when he took over in Iraq. In his very first week in power he arrested, tortured and executed 450 of the most prominent Iraqis, those whom he feared might someday challenge his rule. Saddam called these crimes, in his own words, a means to "cleanse the nation" of factionalism.
Saddam is quoted as having said that among his proudest accomplishments is his 1978 campaign. He says that he ordered the liquidation of 7,000 people on charges of being "communists."
His regime was born in a bloodbath, and like other such regimes, more blood is destined to flow in order to stay in power. Even conservative reports by human rights organizations, United Nations commissioners and exiled Iraqis estimate that at least 1.5 million Iraqis have been killed to keep Saddam in power. The murdered include some 15,000 Kurds who were attacked to chemical attacks in 1988.
Saddam's number of dead in Iraq represents almost one tenth of the population of that country. But then one should add the more than 500,000 soldiers and civilians that were killed or wounded during Saddam's eight-year war with Iraq. At least another 300,000 were killed when Saddam tried to absorb Kuwait in 1990-1991.
Saddam Hussein isn't the type of person who would deny that he kills people. When asked by a journalist if his police "have tortured and perhaps even killed opponents of the regime," Saddam responded in his outwardly calm manner, "Of course. What do you expect if they oppose the regime?"
Many, many thousands of refugees still fleeing Iraq report that death squads continue to hunt for Kurdish and other ethnic leaders. Iraqi secret police agents continuously purge the officer corps of suspected plotters. And it is Saddam's second son, Qusai, who leads that army of secret police. |
