Exclusive: New revelations on Iraq’s arrest of Baathist officials
Shafaq News/ On Saturday, a senior security official has disclosed new details regarding the confessions of the so-called “Group of Five,” a faction of former Baathist operatives responsible for crimes against the Faili Kurds.
“These operatives systematically arrested, tortured, and executed Faili Kurds without judicial orders between the 1970s and 1990s, burying their victims in undisclosed mass graves,” the official told Shafaq News.
According to the official, among those responsible was General Khairallah Hamadi, known as the “Baathist Dracula.” Initially leading security operations in northern Iraq, he was later transferred to Baghdad, where he continued overseeing forced disappearances and executions in the Karkh and Al-Rusafa districts.
One of Iraq’s most-wanted fugitives, Saadoun Al-Qaisi, was lured from Turkiye to Erbil under the pretense of an investment opportunity before his capture.
The confessions of the five detained officials—particularly, Generals Saadoun Sabri, Khairallah Hamadi, and Shaker al-Douri—led authorities to a newly discovered mass grave in Fallujah’s al-Saqlawiya district, where remains of Barzani Kurds executed in 1984 were found.
Investigations confirmed that detainees provided evidence of the torture of Faili Kurdish prisoners in 1974, the forced deportation of their communities, and the confiscation of their properties during the 1980s.
On Friday, Iraq’s National Security Agency announced the arrest of five former Baathist officials involved in the execution of Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir Al-Sadr and his sister, Bint Al-Huda, along with mass killings of political dissidents. The arrests were carried out under the Law for the Prohibition of the Dissolved Baath Party, in coordination with judicial authorities.
Saadoun Sabri Jamil Al-Qaisi, a Major General, admitted to executing Al-Sadr and his sister using his personal weapon. He also oversaw mass executions of Dawa Party members and was directly responsible for the killings of civilians, including members of the Al-Hakim family and an opponent from the Nasiriyah marshlands.
Haitham Abdul Aziz Faiq, a Brigadier General, supervised the execution of Al-Sadr and his sister, along with several Dawa Party members.
Khairallah Hamadi, a Major General, orchestrated mass arrests and torture campaigns in Balad, targeted political dissidents, and ordered forced deportations. He was involved in hand-cutting punishments in Kirkuk and oversaw the systematic persecution of the Faili Kurds in Baghdad.
Shaker Taha Yahya, also a Major General, participated in the execution of Kurdish detainees in Baghdad in 1984, prevented mourning gatherings after the assassination of Mohammed Sadiq Al-Sadr, and was involved in the killing of opposition leader Suleiman Brinji.
Ni'ma Mohammed Suhail Saleh, another Major General, led the arrests and torture of over 40 university students from Al-Sulaymaniyah University and other institutions, while also targeting members of Islamic political parties.
