Saddam’s Kurdish crypts

F orgotten amid the chaos into which Iraq has descended during the past three years are some of the more brutal tactics Saddam Hussein employed. Of course, much of it seems somewhat irrelevant now. As awful as some of the strongman’s crimes were, the potency of discussion about his regime often fades when compared to ...

604978_Hussein5.jpg
604978_Hussein5.jpg

Forgotten amid the chaos into which Iraq has descended during the past three years are some of the more brutal tactics Saddam Hussein employed. Of course, much of it seems somewhat irrelevant now. As awful as some of the strongman's crimes were, the potency of discussion about his regime often fades when compared to the dire situation on the ground today.

F

orgotten amid the chaos into which Iraq has descended during the past three years are some of the more brutal tactics Saddam Hussein employed. Of course, much of it seems somewhat irrelevant now. As awful as some of the strongman’s crimes were, the potency of discussion about his regime often fades when compared to the dire situation on the ground today.

And then you read about something like this:

Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq wanted foreign cash to build thousands of concrete bunkers to bury dead Kurds, an Australian inquiry into abuses of the UN oil-for-food program heard Friday.”

The Australian firm that stands accused of sending money to Saddam isn’t looking so good in the final days of its sensational nine-month inquiry. Take a look at this excerpt of one of the company’s internal e-mails, which was presented to the probe’s panel:

The bunkers will have cement walls and floors so they are actually designed for burying the Kurds … the mind boggles as to whether they are fumigating insects or any other pest that pisses them off…. On a serious note they will have cement flooring.”

The inquiry is expected to hand down its decision on November 24. We’ll keep an eye out for any more disturbing details.

HT: Newsdesk.org 

Kate Palmer is deputy managing editor at Foreign Policy.

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