Ali Hassan al-Majid
Secretary-General of the Northern Bureau of the Baath Party
"I will kill them all with chemical weapons. Who is going to say anything? The international community? To hell with them."
Biography
Ali Hassan al-Majid was Saddam Hussein's most ruthless cousin — the man entrusted with the dirtiest work of the regime. A primary school dropout who rose through family connection and the absolute willingness to do whatever was required, al-Majid was appointed Secretary-General of the Baath Party's Northern Bureau in 1987 and given carte blanche to end the Kurdish insurgency by any means necessary. His solution was the Anfal campaign: a systematic campaign of mass murder, chemical weapons attacks, and deportation that killed an estimated 50,000–180,000 Kurdish civilians. The centerpiece was the March 1988 chemical attack on Halabja — 5,000 civilians killed in hours — using mustard gas, sarin, tabun, and reportedly cyanide compounds. He later served as Military Governor of Kuwait during the 1990 occupation and directed the suppression of the 1991 Shia uprising in southern Iraq. He was tried, convicted of genocide, and hanged in 2010.
Did you know?
Ali Hassan al-Majid was Saddam Hussein's first cousin — both from Al-Awja village near Tikrit. His nickname 'Chemical Ali' was given to him by both his enemies and (in a different tone) his admirers within the regime. He was convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity by an Iraqi tribunal and executed by hanging in 2010.
Key Battles
Chemical Attack on Halabja
Iraq victoryMarch 16–17, 1988 · 5,000 total casualties
Halabja was a crime against humanity committed with weapons whose precursors were supplied by Western firms, using delivery systems sold to Iraq by nations that then blocked UN Security Council condemnation. The Reagan administration initially suggested — falsely — that Iran might have been responsible. The Halabja massacre became the central exhibit in the 2003 Iraq War's humanitarian justification, even as the US had been complicit in its occurrence fifteen years earlier.
Operation Tawakalna ala Allah
Iraq victoryApril – August 1988 · 40,000 total casualties
Iraq's final offensives ended the war but at the price of massive chemical weapons use. The use of nerve agents at Halabja against Kurdish civilians (5,000 dead) and against Iranian troops constituted war crimes. International condemnation was muted — the US had been tilting toward Iraq for years. Khomeini, faced with defeat, accepted the UN ceasefire in what he called 'more deadly than drinking poison.'
Life Journey
Timeline
November 30, 1941
🌅 Birth
Born in Al-Awja, Tikrit — Saddam's first cousin
1970s–1980s
milestone
Rose through Baath Party on family connections; became regime enforcer
1987–1988
⚔️ Battle
Directed Anfal campaign — systematic extermination of Kurdish population
March 16, 1988
⚔️ Battle
Ordered chemical attack on Halabja — 5,000 civilians killed
August 1990
milestone
Appointed Military Governor of Kuwait after Iraqi invasion
January 25, 2010
✝️ Death
Executed by hanging in Baghdad for genocide and crimes against humanity