IRAQ: Iraqi people mark 1st anniversary of Saddam Hussein's executions with divided opinions

Record ID: 730878

  • Title: IRAQ: Iraqi people mark 1st anniversary of Saddam Hussein's executions with divided opinions
  • Date: 30th December 2007
  • Summary: (W2) SALHIYA DISTRICT, BAGHDAD, IRAQ (DECEMBER 30, 2007) (REUTERS) IRAQI SOLDIERS MANNING CHECKPOINT SOLDIER STOPPING VEHICLE NEAR CHECKPOINT SOLDIERS SEARCHING VEHICLE
  • Embargoed: 14th January 2008 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Iraq
  • Country: Iraq
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
  • Reuters ID: LVA1YYP26TLYBQMS1JXPG1X6EKDL
  • Story Text: Iraqi people expressed different opinions as Baghdad marked the first anniversary of Saddam Hussein's execution on Sunday (December 30).
    On the streets of Baghdad, some said the country had witnessed radical changes after Saddam Hussein's execution, while others considered it had sparked hatred and violence between different sects.
    Salaam al-Sudani, an Iraqi citizen said: "We see colossal freedom in speech and in newspaper publishing. All these changes have taken place in the life of the citizen despite terrorism and despite the tragic situations that Iraqi people lived in. The new changes gave horizons for the future."
    Ali Awis added, "What happened was adding hatred among the Iraqi people as he was considered as a political symbol and had been killed."
    Saddam Hussein was hanged for crimes against humanity on December 30 last year, three years after US forces found him hiding in a hole near Tikrit.
    Iraqi security forces are on full alert for any violence or civil unrest on the first anniversary of his execution.
    Saddam loyalists are expected to gather at his grave in Awja, the village in central Iraq where the deposed dictator was born and is now buried.
    U.S. and Iraqi commanders hailed a big improvement in security over the past year. The top American general in Iraq General David Petraeus said progress had been made in curbing attacks and civilian deaths, but warned that the gains could be reversed.
    Although the security situation has improved this year, U.S. commanders have been careful not to declare victory after years in which their statements were often seen as overly optimistic.
    Petraeus said tactics should now shift from a focus on security toward civilian aims, such as helping Iraq restore services and create jobs, to prevent violence from returning.
    The decline in violence came about after Washington sent 30,000 extra troops to Iraq this year. But withdrawals are now under way that will see numbers decline to about pre-surge levels by mid-2008.
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