COUNTRY PROFILE: Iraq

[Salem6]

Saddam Hussein's regime collapsed in April 2003, three weeks into a major US-led military campaign.
While many in Iraq welcomed Saddam's downfall, pressing problems loomed large for the country's new administrators, particularly the need to restore civil order and to create a new political system.

American missiles hit targets in Baghdad in the early hours of 20 March, heralding the start of the campaign to remove the Iraqi leader.

US and British ground forces entered the country from the south, with the leadership in Baghdad remaining defiant. By 9 April US forces had advanced into central Baghdad and Saddam Hussein's grip on power had withered.

Iraq under Saddam Hussein had engaged in two previous wars, against Iran in the 1980s and against an American-led alliance in 1991 after it invaded Kuwait.

OVERVIEW

Straddling the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and stretching from the Gulf to the Anti-Taurus Mountains, modern Iraq occupies roughly what was once ancient Mesopotamia, one of the cradles of human civilisation.

In the Middle Ages Iraq was the centre of the Islamic Empire, with Baghdad the cultural and political capital of an area extending from Morocco to the Indian subcontinent. Mongol invasions in the 13th century saw its influence wane, and it played a minor role in the region until independence from British control in 1932.

Following the overthrow of the monarchy in 1958 and a coup in 1968, Iraq became one of the centres of Arab nationalism under the control of the ruling Baath (Renaissance) party. Oil made the country rich, and when Saddam Hussein became president in 1979 petroleum made up 95% of its foreign exchange earnings.

But the war with Iran from 1980 to 1988 and the Gulf War in 1991 following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, together with the subsequent imposition of international sanctions, had a devastating effect on its economy and society. In 1991 the UN said Iraq had been reduced to a pre-industrial state, while later reports described living standards as being at subsistence level.


The Kurdish community has broken away and created a semi-autonomous region of its own in the north.

FACTS

IRAQ FACTS
Population: 25.1 million (UN, 2003)
Capital: Baghdad
Major languages: Arabic, Kurdish
Major religion: Islam
Life expectancy: 59 years (men), 62 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Iraqi dinar = 1,000 fils
Main exports: Crude oil
Average annual income:n/a
Internet domain: .iq
International dialling code: 964


LEADERS


The US-led Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq is headed by American career diplomat Paul Bremer.


Paul Bremer - top US official in Iraq

Mr Bremer is the top civilian official in Iraq. He is responsible for overseeing reconstruction efforts and the political transformation of the country. He has said that his priorities are to restore law and order and to stimulate the moribund economy.

There is no clear timetable for a handover to Iraqi rule. Mr Bremer has said the Iraqi constitution should be rewritten to allow democratic elections to take place.

An interim governing council held its first meeting in July 2003. Its 25 members were appointed by Mr Bremer. They broadly reflect Iraq's ethnic make-up. The council can appoint ministers and pass the budget, but ultimate control of Iraq rests with the US administrator.

MEDIA

Following the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime and a temporary media void, there are now more than 200 newspapers and magazines on offer in Baghdad and other cities. Private radio and television stations are also starting to appear.

The Iraqi Media Network (IMN), operated by the Coalition Provisional Authority, dominates domestic broadcasting. IMN's TV network is said to be capable of reaching two-thirds of Iraqi homes.

Media outlets are often linked to the political, ethnic or religious groups who are jostling for a say in Iraq's future. But they face a lack of resources, in particular a constant power supply.

Foreign broadcasters also target the region. They include the BBC, Paris-based Radio Monte Carlo and the US-backed Radio Sawa and Radio Free Iraq. Many of these stations are available on FM in Baghdad and other cities. Iran's Al-Alam TV, which broadcasts in Arabic, can be picked up in Baghdad without the need for a satellite dish.

Among the rich, satellite TV has become the new craze, but it remains a luxury for most Iraqis. The use of satellite dishes and receivers was banned under the former regime.

Many opposition-run and clandestine radio stations target Iraq. They broadcast, sometimes sporadically, from neighbouring countries.

In Iraq's northern autonomous Kurdish enclaves, rival factions operate their own media outlets.

Saddam's TV and radio stations continued to operate during the opening stages of the US-led military action, but by early April, and the entry of US forces into central Baghdad, the regime had lost control of its media.

The former government exercised complete control over Iraq's media.

The press

Al-Zaman - London-based daily, printed in Baghdad and Basra
Al-Ahrar - privately-run, publishes weekly
Al-Da'wah - Shia newspaper
Baghdad - weekly, affiliated with Iraqi National Accord
Al-Sabah - twice-weekly, supported by the US Office of Reconstruction
Baghdad Bulletin - English-language bi-monthly
Television

Iraq Media Network - operated by Coalition Provisional Authority
Kurdistan Satellite Channel - operated by Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) from autonomous northern enclave
KurdSat - operated by Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) from autonomous northern enclave
Radio

Iraq Media Network-Voice of New Iraq - operated by Coalition Provisional Authority
Radio Nahrain - Basra, UK-sponsored
Radio Freedom - Baghdad FM station operated by PUK
IQ4 Radio Iraq - Baghdad FM music station
Internet
Uruklink, the state internet provider, was back in operation in July 2003 after being offline for several months.

In Saddam Hussein's Iraq, few people were thought to be online and internet use was almost totally government-controlled.


Listen:-


1958: Revolution
Jordanian king announces assassination of Iraq's royal family

news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1345000/audio/_1349679_hussein_faisal.ram

1958: Iraqi official explains death of royal family
Assistant military envoy in London says killing was in self-defence

news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1370000/audio/_1373220_iraq_attache.ram

1990: Iraq invades Kuwait
The BBC broadcasts news of the invasion

news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1375000/audio/_1377833_kwt_invasion_bbc.ram

2001: Saddam Hussein
"Long live our glorious nation. Long live Iraq!"

news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1385000/audio/_1386830_iraq-saddam.ram

2002 Referendum:
Izzat Ibrahim says Iraqis have voted unanimously for their leader

news.bbc.co.uk/media/audio/38353000/rm/_38353829_ibrahim.ram

[Salem6]

1920 25 April - Iraq is placed under British mandate.

NAJAF


Shrine of the Imam Ali, one of Shia Islam's holiest places

1921 23 August - Faysal, son of Hussein Bin Ali, the Sharif of Mecca, is crowned Iraq's first king.

1932 3 October - Iraq becomes an independent state.

1958 14 July - The monarchy is overthrown in a military coup led by Brig Abd-al-Karim Qasim and Col Abd-al-Salam Muhammad Arif. Iraq is declared a republic and Qasim becomes prime minister.

1963 8 February - Qasim is ousted in a coup led by the Arab Socialist Baath Party (ASBP). Arif becomes president.

1963 18 November - The Baathist government is overthrown by Arif and a group of officers.

1966 17 April - After Arif is killed in a helicopter crash on 13 April, his elder brother, Maj-Gen Abd-al-Rahman Muhammad Arif, succeeds him as president.

1968 17 July - A Ba'thist led-coup ousts Arif and Gen Ahmad Hasan al-Bakr becomes president.

1970 11 March - The Revolution Command Council (RCC) and Mullah Mustafa Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), sign a peace agreement.

1972 - A 15-year Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation is signed between Iraq and the Soviet Union.

Petroleum firm nationalised

1972 - Iraq nationalizes the Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC).

1974 - In implementation of the 1970 agreement, Iraq grants limited autonomy to the Kurds but the KDP rejects it.

1975 March - At a meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) in Algiers, Iraq and Iran sign a treaty ending their border disputes.

1979 16 July - President Al-Bakr resigns and is succeeded by Vice-President Saddam Hussein.

1980 1 April - The pro-Iranian Dawah Party claims responsibility for an attack on Deputy Prime Minister, Tariq Aziz, at Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad.

Iran-Iraq war

1980 4 September - Iran shells Iraqi border towns (Iraq considers this as the start of the Iran/Iraq war).

IRAN-IRAQ WAR


Almost one million people died in the conflict; exchanges of war dead continue

1980 17 September - Iraq abrogates the 1975 treaty with Iran.

1980 22 September - Iraq attacks Iranian air bases.

1980 23 September - Iran bombs Iraqi military and economic targets.

1981 7 June - Israel attacks an Iraqi nuclear research centre at Tuwaythah near Baghdad.

Chemical attack on Kurds

1988 16 March - Iraq is said to have used chemical weapons against the Kurdish town of Halabjah.

1988 20 August - A ceasefire comes into effect to be monitored by the UN Iran-Iraq Military Observer Group (Uniimog).

1990 15 March - Farzad Bazoft, an Iranian-born journalist with the London Observer newspaper, accused of spying on a military installation, is hanged in Baghdad.

Iraq invades Kuwait

1990 2 August - Iraq invades Kuwait and is condemned by United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 660 which calls for full withdrawal.

1990 6 August - UNSC Resolution 661 imposes economic sanctions on Iraq.

1990 8 August - Iraq announces the merger of Iraq and Kuwait.

1990 29 November - UNSC Resolution 678 authorizes the states cooperating with Kuwait to use "all necessary means" to uphold UNSC Resolution 660.

1991 16 -17 January - The Gulf War starts when the coalition forces begin aerial bombing of Iraq ("Operation Desert Storm").

1991 GULF WAR


Iraq's army was all but destroyed in the six-week conflict


1991 13 February - US planes destroy an air raid shelter at Amiriyah in Baghdad, killing more than 300 people.

1991 24 February - The start of a ground operation which results in the liberation of Kuwait on 27 February.

Ceasefire

1991 3 March - Iraq accepts the terms of a ceasefire.

1991 Mid-March/early April - Iraqi forces suppress rebellions in the south and the north of the country.

1991 8 April - A plan to establish a UN safe-haven in northern Iraq to protect the Kurds is approved at a European Union meeting. On 10 April the USA orders Iraq to end all military activity in this area.

1992 26 August - A no-fly zone, which Iraqi planes are not allowed to enter, is set up in southern Iraq, south of latitude 32 degrees north.

1993 27 June - US forces launch a cruise missile attack on Iraqi intelligence headquarters in Baghdad in retaliation for the attempted assassination of US President George Bush in Kuwait in April.

1994 29 May - Saddam Hussein becomes prime minister.

1994 10 November - Iraqi National Assembly recognises Kuwait's borders and its independence.

Oil-for-food

1995 14 April - UNSC Resolution 986 allows the partial resumption of Iraq's oil exports to buy food and medicine ( the "oil-for-food programme"). It is not accepted by Iraq until May 1996 and is not implemented until December 1996.

1995 August - Saddam Hussein's son-in-law, Gen Hussein Kamil Hasan al-Majid, his brother and their families leave Iraq and are granted asylum in Jordan.

1995 15 October - Saddam Hussein wins a referendum allowing him to remain president for another 7 years.

Pardoned son-in-law killed

1996 20 February - Hussein Kamil Hasan al-Majid and his brother, promised a pardon by Saddam Hussein, return to Baghdad and are killed on 23 February.

1996 31 August - In response to a call for aid from the KDP, Iraqi forces launch an offensive into the northern no-fly zone and capture Irbil.

1996 3 September - US extends the northern limit of the southern no-fly zone to latitude 33 degrees north, just south of Baghdad.

SADDAM HUSSEIN

Images of Saddam abound but the former leader remains elusive

1996 12 December - Saddam Hussein's elder son, Uday, is seriously wounded in an assassination attempt in Baghdad.

1998 31 October - Iraq ends all forms of cooperation with the UN Special Commission to Oversee the Destruction of Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction (Unscom).

Operation Desert Fox

1998 16-19 December - After UN staff are evacuated from Baghdad, the USA and UK launch a bombing campaign, "Operation Desert Fox", to destroy Iraq's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programmes.

1999 19 February - Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr, spiritual leader of the Shia community, is assassinated in Najaf.

1999 17 December - UNSC Resolution 1284 creates the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (Unmovic) to replace Unscom. Iraq rejects the resolution.

2000 October - Iraq resumes domestic passenger flights, the first since the 1991 Gulf War. Commercial air links re-established with Russia, Ireland and Middle East.

2001 February - Britain, US carry out bombing raids to try to disable Iraq's air defence network. The bombings have little international support.

2001 May - Saddam's son Qusay elected to the leadership of the ruling Baath Party, fuelling speculation that he's being groomed to succeed his father.

"The light of truth belongs to us, while our enemy has the darkness of the present and the darkness of distant horizons... " Saddam Hussein TV address, January 2003 .

2002 April - Baghdad suspends oil exports to protest against Israeli incursions into Palestinian territories. Despite calls by Saddam Hussein, no other Arab countries follow suit. Exports resume after 30 days.

Weapons inspectors return

2002 September - US President George W Bush tells sceptical world leaders gathered at a UN General Assembly session to confront the "grave and gathering danger" of Iraq - or stand aside as the United States acts. In the same month British Prime Minister Tony Blair publishes a dossier on Iraq's military capability.

2002 November - UN weapons inspectors return to Iraq backed by a UN resolution which threatens serious consequences if Iraq is in "material breach" of its terms.

"In Iraq a dictator is building and hiding weapons that could enable him to dominate the Middle East and intimidate the civilised world - and we will not allow it " US President George W Bush, February 2003.

2003 March - Chief weapons inspector Hans Blix reports that Iraq has accelerated its cooperation but says inspectors need more time to verify Iraq's compliance.

[Salem6]

Saddam ousted

2003 17 March - UK's ambassador to the UN says the diplomatic process on Iraq has ended; arms inspectors evacuate; US President George W Bush gives Saddam Hussein and his sons 48 hours to leave Iraq or face war.

2003 20 March - American missiles hit targets in Baghdad, marking the start of a US-led campaign to topple Saddam Hussein. In the following days US and British ground troops enter Iraq from the south.

BAGHDAD, 9 APRIL 2003


A symbol of Saddam's power tumbles

2003 9 April - US forces advance into central Baghdad. Saddam Hussein's grip on the city is broken. In the following days Kurdish fighters and US forces take control of the northern cities of Kirkuk and Mosul. There is widespread looting in the capital and other cities.

2003 April - US lists 55 most-wanted members of former regime in the form of a deck of cards. Former deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz taken into custody.

2003 May - UN Security Council approves resolution backing US-led administration in Iraq and lifting of economic sanctions. US administrator abolishes Baath Party and institutions of former regime.

Sons killed

2003 July - Interim governing council (IGC) meets for first time. Commander of US forces says his troops face low-intensity guerrilla-style war. Saddam's sons Uday and Qusay Hussein killed in gun battle at villa in Mosul.

2003 August - Bomb attack at Jordanian embassy in Baghdad kills 11 people. Bomb attack at UN HQ in Baghdad kills 22 people including UN's chief envoy to Iraq. Saddam's cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, or Chemical Ali, captured. Car bomb in Najaf kills 125 people including Shia leader Ayatollah Mohammed Baqr al-Hakim.

2003 September - Former chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix says Iraq probably destroyed all its weapons of mass destruction more than a decade ago.

2003 September - A female member of the IGC dies after being shot in a gun attack in Baghdad. Aqila al-Hashimi was the only member of the former regime to be appointed to the IGC and the first IGC member to be assassinated.

[Salem6]

The United States has released a set of 55 playing cards depicting what it describes as the most wanted members of the former Iraqi regime.
The list includes Saddam Hussein and his inner circle, as well as senior Baath Party officials and military commanders - some of whom have already been apprehended.
Key leaders:

Saddam Hussein
President of Iraq, commander-in-chief of military
War crimes claims against the Iraqi leader include genocide of the Kurds, "ethnic cleansing" in which tens of thousands of Kurds, Turkmen, Assyrians around the oil-rich city of Kirkuk were expelled as part of an "Arabisation" programme, mass civilian executions after the Kurdish and Shia uprisings in 1991, and religious persecution.

Qusay Hussein
Special Republican Guard and Republican Guard commander :: Killed 22 July
Saddam Hussein's younger son and chosen successor. The 36-year-old Qusay was in charge of the Special Republican Guard and the feared intelligence and security services. He is accused of curbing dissident activity in Basra after the failed Shia uprising in 1991 with mass executions and torture.

Uday Saddam Hussein
Fedayeen commander :: Killed 22 July
Saddam Hussein's 38-year-old son was commander of Saddam's Fedayeen forces and president of the Iraqi National Olympic Committee. Uday's alleged brutality is legendary in Iraq. According to Indict, the committee seeking to prosecute the Iraqi leadership for war crimes, he was personally engaged in acts of torture and ordered torture by forces under his command. He is said to have routinely abducted and raped women.

Abid Hamid al-Tikriti
Presidential secretary :: Taken into custody 18 June
One of Saddam Hussein's closest aides, Abed Hamoud controlled access to the president and was frequently at his side. He is said to have directed matters of state and handed down many of the regime's repressive orders. The US says he was also authorised to deploy weapons of mass destruction.

Ali Hasan Majid
Presidential adviser, southern region commander :: Captured by coalition forces 21 August
Saddam Hussein's cousin, Ali Hasan Majid, was known as "Chemical Ali" for his alleged role in the use of poison gas against Kurds in 1988. He had earlier been reported killed in a coalition airstrike on his house in Basra.

Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri
Vice-chairman Revolutionary Command Council, Northern regional commander
The 61-year-old deputy chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council and deputy chief of the armed forces is considered to have been Saddam Hussein's daily right-hand man. He was born in Tikrit, the Iraqi leader's home town. He was a key commander in the suppression of the failed Shia uprising in 1991. Indict also accuses Mr Ibrahim of the use of excessive military force against the Marsh Arabs of the south. He escaped an assassination attempt in Karbala in 1998. War crimes charges have been issued against him in Austria.

Aziz Salih al-Numan
Baath Party regional commander, militia commander :: Taken into custody 22 May
The former governor of occupied Kuwait and commander of the popular army in Kuwait is accused of complicity in atrocities allegedly carried out on Kuwaiti citizens. He was governor of the Karbala and Najaf areas in the 1970s and 1980s and is believed to have been involved in the destruction of Shia Muslim shrines during that time.

Taha Yassin Ramadan
Vice-president :: Taken into custody 18 August
The 65-year-old vice-president and commander of the popular army was known as Saddam Hussein's enforcer. He is accused of complicity in the occupation of Kuwait. He is also accused of involvement in the brutal repression of Shia Muslims who rose up against the regime in 1991 and of the killing of thousands of Kurds in the town of Halabja in 1988 when the town was attacked with poison gas bombs.

Tariq Aziz
Deputy prime minister :: Surrendered 24 April
The only Christian in the leadership was at Saddam Hussein's side from the 1950s. The 67-year-old deputy prime minister is one of the most well-known faces of the former regime in the West. As a member of the Revolutionary Command Council, he is accused by Indict of complicity in war crimes against Iran, Kuwait and his own people.
Other leaders and officials:

Barzan Ibrahim Hasan al-Tikriti
Baath party official :: Taken into custody 16 April
The former director of the notorious intelligence service, or Mukhabarat, which is believed to have tortured and murdered thousands of opponents of the regime. He is listed as number 52 in the US deck. He is also a former ambassador to the UN in Geneva.
Watban Ibrahim al-Tikriti
Baath Party official :: Taken into custody 13 April
Saddam Hussein's half-brother and former intelligence minister and number 51 on the list. The former interior minister is believed to have been involved in repressing the 1991 uprisings.
Muhammad Hazmaq al-Zubaidi
Central Euphrates region commander :: Taken into custody 21 April
Former deputy prime minister and member of the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) Mr al-Zubaidi was captured by pro-US Free Iraqi forces on 21 April.
Humam Abd al-Khaliq Abd al-Ghafur
Minister of higher education and scientific research :: Taken into custody 21 April
Number 54 on the list and a former member of Saddam Hussein's cabinet, Mr al-Ghafur was taken into custody by US troops on 21 April.
Jamal Mustafa Abdallah Sultan al-Tikriti
Deputy chief of tribal affairs :: Taken into custody 20 April
Saddam Hussein's son-in-law and private secretary, and number 40 on the wanted list, he returned to Iraq after fleeing to Syria and was taken into custody on 20 April.
Hikmat al-Azzawi
Finance minister :: Taken into custody 19 April
Number 45 on the list, Mr al-Azzawi was captured by Iraqi police in Baghdad and handed over to US forces on 19 April
Samir abd al-Aziz al-Najm
Baath Party chairman, Diyala region :: Taken into custody 17 April
Iraqi Kurds handed over Samir abd al-Aziz al-Najm, the Baath Party regional command chairman for east Baghdad and number 24, to US troops near Mosul on 17 April
Amir Hamudi Hasan al-Saadi
Presidential scientific adviser :: Surrendered 12 April
Saddam Hussein's high-profile scientific adviser surrendered in Baghdad after learning he was number 55 on the US list.
Hani abd Latif Tilfa al-Tikriti
Special Security Organisation director
Kamal Mustafa Abdallah Sultan Tikriti
Republican Guard secretary :: Surrendered 17 May
Barzan abd Ghafur Sulayman al-Tikriti
Special Republican Guard commander :: Taken into custody 23 July
Muzahim Sa'b Hassan al-Tikriti
Air defence force commander :: Taken into custody 23 April
Ibrahim Ahmad abd al-Sattar Muhammad al-Tikriti
Armed forces chief-of-staff :: Taken into custody 15 May
Sayf al-Din Fulayyih Hassan Taha al-Rawi
Republican Guard forces commander
Rafi Abd Latif al-Tilfah
Director of general security
Tahir Jalil Habbush al-Tikriti
Internal intelligence services director
Hamid Raja Shalah al-Tikriti
Air force commander :: Taken into custody 14 June
Abd al-Tawab Mullah Huwaysh
Deputy prime minister :: Taken into custody 2 May
Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Tal
Minister of defence :: Surrendered 19 September
Ayad Futayyih Khalifa al-Rawi
Al-Quds chief of staff :: Taken into custody 5 June
Zuhayr Talib Abd al-Sattar al-Naqib
Director of military intelligence :: Taken into custody 23 April
Abd al-Baqi abd Karim al-Sadun
Baath Party chairman and Baghdad militia commander
Muhammad Zimam Abd al-Razzaq al-Sadun
Baath Party chairman, Ta'mim and Ninawa Governate
Yahya Abdallah al-Ubaydi
Baath Party chairman, Basra Governate
Nayif Shindakh Thamir
Baath Party chairman, Salah al-Din Governate
Sayf al-Din al-Mashhadani
Baath Party chairman and militia commander, Muthanna Governate :: Captured 24 May
Fadil Mahmud Gharib
Baath Party chairman, Babil and Karbala Governate :: Taken into custody 15 May
Muhsin Khadar al-Khafaji
Baath Party chairman, Qadisiyah Governate
Rashid Taan Kazim
Baath Party chairman, Anbar Governate
Ugla Abid Sighar al-Kubaysi
Baath Party chairman, Maysan Governate :: Taken into custody 20 May
Ghazi Hamud al-Adib
Baath Party chairman, Wasit Governate :: Taken into custody 7 May
Adil Abdallah Mahdi al-Duri al-Tikriti
Baath Party chairman, Dhi Qar Governate :: Taken into custody 15 May
Husayn al-Awawi
Baath Party chairman, Ninawa Governate :: Taken into custody 9 June
Khamis Sirhan al-Muhammad
Baath Party chairman, Karbala Governate
Sad Abd al-Majid al-Faysal
Baath Party chairman, Salah al-Din Governate :: Taken into custody 24 May
Latif Nussayif Jasim al-Dulaymi
Deputy chairman, Baath Party :: Taken into custody 9 June
Rukan Razuki abd al-Ghaful Sulayman al-Tikriti
Chief of tribal affairs
Mizban Khidir Hadi
Revolutionary Command Council member, regional commander, Euphrates region :: Surrendered 9 July
Taha Muhyl al-Din Maruf
Vice-president and RCC member :: Taken into custody 2 May
Walid Hamid Tawfiq al-Tikriti
Governor of Basra Governate :: Surrendered 29 April
Mahmud Dhiyab al-Ahmad
Interior minister :: Taken into custody 8 August
Amir Rashid Muhammad al-Ubaydi
Former oil minister :: Taken into custody 28 April
Muhammad Mahdi al-Salih
Minister of trade :: Taken into custody 23 April
Hossam Mohammed Amin
National monitoring director :: Taken into custody 27 April
Sabawi Ibrahim
Baath Party, Saddam Hussein's maternal half brother
Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash
Scientist :: Taken into custody 5 May