'Chemical Ali' found dead in Basra

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.

Maj Andrew Jackson of the 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment said his superiors had confirmed the death during a briefing earlier in the day.

Jackson said the body was found along with that of Al-Majid’s bodyguard and the head of Iraqi intelligence services in Basra.

Al-Majid was a first cousin of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who had entrusted him with the defence of southern Iraq against the invading coalition forces.

One of the most brutal members of Saddam’s inner circle, al-Majid, in his 50s, led a 1988 campaign against rebellious Kurds in northern Iraq in which whole villages were wiped out.

An estimated 100,000 Kurds, mostly civilians, were killed.

He has also been linked to the bloody crackdown on Shiites in southern Iraq following a 1991 uprising after the Gulf War.

He served as governor of Kuwait during Iraq’s seven-month occupation of the emirate in 1990-1991.