Chemical Ali - The Cousin Who Enforced Saddam’s Reign of Terror Documentary

Chemical Ali. Ali Hassan al-Majid was Saddam Hussein's first cousin, one of his most feared enforcers, and the man the Kurds blame for the darkest chapter of their modern history. This documentary tells his full story, from a poor village near Tikrit to the gallows in Baghdad. Born into poverty, with little formal education, he started out as a motorcycle messenger in the Iraqi army. When the Ba'ath Party seized power in 1968, his cousin's rise became his own. In 1987, Saddam placed every state agency in northern Iraq under his command. What followed was the Anfal campaign against the Kurds and, in March 1988, the chemical attack on Halabja, which killed an estimated 5,000 people. Fifteen years later, he was the King of Spades in the US military's deck of most-wanted Iraqis. He survived an airstrike in Basra, was captured in August 2003, and was sentenced to death four times by Iraqi courts before his execution in January 2010. IN THIS DOCUMENTARY • How an army motorcycle messenger rose to power through his cousin, Saddam Hussein • The 1979 Ba'ath Party purge, and what he reportedly told Saddam that day • Decree 160: how he became the master of northern Iraq in 1987 • The Anfal campaign, and the recordings that captured his own words • Halabja, March 1988: the deadliest chemical attack ever carried out against civilians • Kuwait, the 1991 uprisings, and the questions surrounding the 1996 killing of his own nephews • The King of Spades: the Basra airstrike, his escape and his capture • The trials, four death sentences and his execution • What remains of his legacy, and of the people he tried to erase ABOUT THIS VIDEO This documentary is produced for educational and historical purposes. It discusses war crimes, chemical weapons and mass violence against civilians in order to inform viewers about documented historical events. It does not endorse or glorify any individual, regime or act of violence. Viewer discretion is advised. Sources include the proceedings of the Iraqi High Tribunal (Anfal and Halabja trials), Human Rights Watch's report "Genocide in Iraq: The Anfal Campaign Against the Kurds" (1993), and contemporary reporting by AFP, AP, Al Jazeera and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Where accounts differ or remain unconfirmed, the narration says so. If this story stayed with you, subscribe for more historical biographies, and tell us in the comments which part of this story you believe should never be forgotten. #ChemicalAli #SaddamHussein #HistoryDocumentary