Iraqi judges have started interrogating Saddam Hussein’s former defence minister and the notorious general known as Chemical Ali, who is accused of gassing thousands of Kurds in the 1980s, the head judge in charge of investigating detained former regime leaders said today.

Ali Hassan al-Majid, dubbed “Chemical Ali” by opponents of the Iraqi regime for ordering a poison gas attack that killed thousands of Kurds, has been found dead, a British officer said today.

Coalition aircraft today struck the home of an Iraqi general known as ”Chemical Ali” for ordering a poison gas attack that killed thousands of Kurds in 1988.

AMERICAN forces yesterday turned their sights on one of Saddam Hussein’s most notorious henchmen.