![]() ![]() The ex-Baathists, who include former intelligence officers and elite Republican Guard troops, coalesced in 2007 - soon after the Shi’ite-led government in Baghdad executed Hussein - as a group called the Men of the Army of the Naqshbandi Order. After taking control of Mosul and other Sunni cities, Islamic State leaders pushed aside the ex-Baathists or absorbed them into the group’s ranks. But they were able to capture large swaths of territory from the Iraqi government thanks to an alliance with a network of former Hussein regime loyalists who had deep ties to Sunni tribes in cities like Mosul and Tikrit. ![]() The jihadists assumed the most prominent role as they swept through northern and central Iraq in mid- to late-2014. Today, Hussein leaves a new legacy in Iraq: a marriage of convenience between former officers of his Baath Party and Sunni militants like those of Islamic State. His legacy as a supposedly strong leader who kept Iraq together, by brutal force, reverberates for Sunnis in the wider Middle East, which is wracked by sectarian conflict and stalled revolutions. Hussein was executed nine years ago - on Decembut he remains an important symbol for Iraq’s disillusioned Sunni Arab minority. In the more than 30 years he ruled Iraq, Hussein tirelessly cultivated the persona that photograph embodied: an urbane, modern and, above all, strong leader. But the most iconic image, which hung on buildings, schools, airports and highways, was that of a smiling Hussein, wearing a fedora and firing an assault rifle into the air. For decades, Iraq’s landscape was dotted with heroic portraits of Saddam Hussein: he appeared as a Bedouin riding a white horse, a revolutionary in a black beret, or a devout Muslim with his head bowed in prayer. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |