More than 200 former Iraqi high-ranking military officers are being detained in government prisons in southern and central Iraq. Most were taken as prisoners of war (POW) by the US in 2003 and 2004 after the invasion or were taken as POWs during the battles between the Iraqi army and US forces in the course of the invasion. The US handed over these Iraqi officers to the Iraqi government in 2010 before its final troop withdrawal from Iraq in December 2011. They received varied sentences, from life imprisonment to the death penalty, issued by unfair US sponsored Iraqi trials.
Most of these prisoners were senior officers including brigadier generals or had higher ranks in the Iraqi army. Some of them were pilots, members of the special forces, the Republican Guard, navy, infantry, the missile unit, or were experts and scientists in Iraq's former Military Industrialisation Organisation.
The prisoners are currently being held in al Hout Prison in southern Iraq, al Kadhimiya Prison in Baghdad or in two other prisons in Babil and Basra provinces. They are being held under high level security measures, despite their old age with may suffering from serious health problems.
Last week, the chief of staff of the Iraqi army and the commander of former Republican Guard, Eyad Khalifa Ftaih al Rawi, 76, died in prison after he had had a stroke. His daughters and sons were not allowed to see him before he died.
Most of these prisoners were senior officers including brigadier generals or had higher ranks in the Iraqi army. Some of them were pilots, members of the special forces, the Republican Guard, navy, infantry, the missile unit, or were experts and scientists in Iraq's former Military Industrialisation Organisation.
The prisoners are currently being held in al Hout Prison in southern Iraq, al Kadhimiya Prison in Baghdad or in two other prisons in Babil and Basra provinces. They are being held under high level security measures, despite their old age with may suffering from serious health problems.
Last week, the chief of staff of the Iraqi army and the commander of former Republican Guard, Eyad Khalifa Ftaih al Rawi, 76, died in prison after he had had a stroke. His daughters and sons were not allowed to see him before he died.
Recently, another prisoner, General Hussein Rashid, 75, a commander in the former Iraqi military, who was sentenced to life imprisonment, was transferred from prison to a public hospital in Nasiriyah in the south. He is now under intensive care treatment after suffering a heart attack. A similar case is that of former Iraqi Defense Minister Sultan Hashim. Two days ago, it was circulated in some Iraqi media outlets that he had been transferred to a hospital in Baghdad after his health had deteriorated, he is said to have been admitted to an intensive care unit.
Many more high-ranking officers in the former Iraqi military have died in prison, including; Maj Gen Ahmed Abdul Majeed, 71, a commander in the air force, Maj Gen Hussein Mohammed al Hamdani, 69, a commander with the special forces, and Muayed Yasin, 73, a commander of Hitteen Brigade. In addition, Brig Gen Khalid Al-Juburi, a commander of the 1st Squadron of the former Iraqi Air Force that carried out the first air strikes inside the Iranian territory during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war also died while incarcerated. It is known that Iran-backed militias assassinated many of his colleagues following the US invasion of Iraq.
Walid al Kazimi, a member of the 'Iraq Veterans Association', was quoted by al-araby al-Jadeed news outlet, as saying that “most of the prisoners are simply facing retaliation for their participation in defeating Iran (during the Iran-Iraq war), there is not any other reason.”
“The former Iraqi military generals were not politicians; they were just officers carrying out their duties. Many of them worked in the Iraqi military long before the rule of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Some of them had participated in the Arab liberation wars against the Zionists in Syria, Jordan and Egypt. There are political reasons behind their prosecution, Iran is behind it .” al Kazimi added.
Former Iraqi Vice President (2006-2009) Tariq al-Hashemi called upon Prime Minister Haider al Abadi to intervene to release the former senior military officers, especially, former Iraqi Defence Minister Gen Sultan Hashim, Maj Gen Saadi Tomeh and Maj Gen Saber al Douri on humanitarian considerations.
In an interview with Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Iraqi MP Hamed al Mutlaq, also member of the Iraqi parliament's Security and Defence Committee, said that the release of the former senior military officers is considered a purely humanitarian matter describing their imprisonment as “ stab in Iraqi nationalism because these officers defended the Iraqi nation for many years, this must be stopped."
Al Mutlaq said: "They must be released for humanitarian reasons. The persistence of imprisoning them is an insult to the Iraqi people. In my opinion, they have been targeted by a foreign country (referring to Iran).”
According to al Mutlaq, it is illegal to imprison these senior officers of the former Iraqi military. “Unfortunately the country is controlled by corrupt people working for foreign interests, they are keen to fulfil these interests.”, he added.
Many more high-ranking officers in the former Iraqi military have died in prison, including; Maj Gen Ahmed Abdul Majeed, 71, a commander in the air force, Maj Gen Hussein Mohammed al Hamdani, 69, a commander with the special forces, and Muayed Yasin, 73, a commander of Hitteen Brigade. In addition, Brig Gen Khalid Al-Juburi, a commander of the 1st Squadron of the former Iraqi Air Force that carried out the first air strikes inside the Iranian territory during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war also died while incarcerated. It is known that Iran-backed militias assassinated many of his colleagues following the US invasion of Iraq.
Walid al Kazimi, a member of the 'Iraq Veterans Association', was quoted by al-araby al-Jadeed news outlet, as saying that “most of the prisoners are simply facing retaliation for their participation in defeating Iran (during the Iran-Iraq war), there is not any other reason.”
“The former Iraqi military generals were not politicians; they were just officers carrying out their duties. Many of them worked in the Iraqi military long before the rule of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Some of them had participated in the Arab liberation wars against the Zionists in Syria, Jordan and Egypt. There are political reasons behind their prosecution, Iran is behind it .” al Kazimi added.
Former Iraqi Vice President (2006-2009) Tariq al-Hashemi called upon Prime Minister Haider al Abadi to intervene to release the former senior military officers, especially, former Iraqi Defence Minister Gen Sultan Hashim, Maj Gen Saadi Tomeh and Maj Gen Saber al Douri on humanitarian considerations.
In an interview with Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Iraqi MP Hamed al Mutlaq, also member of the Iraqi parliament's Security and Defence Committee, said that the release of the former senior military officers is considered a purely humanitarian matter describing their imprisonment as “ stab in Iraqi nationalism because these officers defended the Iraqi nation for many years, this must be stopped."
Al Mutlaq said: "They must be released for humanitarian reasons. The persistence of imprisoning them is an insult to the Iraqi people. In my opinion, they have been targeted by a foreign country (referring to Iran).”
According to al Mutlaq, it is illegal to imprison these senior officers of the former Iraqi military. “Unfortunately the country is controlled by corrupt people working for foreign interests, they are keen to fulfil these interests.”, he added.
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