Is Iran’s supreme chief Khamenei now on America’s goal? Know the way ‘Uncle Sam’ took down Saddam Hussein

The present geopolitical panorama of the Center East stays tense and deeply complicated amid ongoing battle between Israel and Iran. Underneath the management of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Shia regime is intensifying its efforts to develop regional affect whilst tensions with Israel are at their peak. Notably, america has at all times had a strategic curiosity on this area, pushed by its stakes in oil, Israel, and counterterrorism.

Now, US President Donald Trump appears to have his sights set squarely on Iran’s supreme chief Khamenei. In a putting assertion, Trump posted on Reality Social, “We all know precisely the place the so-called supreme chief is hiding. He’s a straightforward goal, however is secure there – We’re not going to take him out (kill), at the very least not for now.” This daring rhetoric harks again to the early 2000s, when the US led a full-scale assault on Iraq and toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime in what turned some of the defining chapters in fashionable Center Jap historical past.

When America launched its assault on Iraq

Following the horrific terrorist assaults on September 11, 2001, the US declared a worldwide “Warfare on Terror.” Then-President George W Bush focused Iraq, labelling it a “sponsor of terrorism” and a producer of “Weapons of Mass Destruction” WMDs).

Though later investigations revealed that Iraq didn’t possess WMDs, the wheels of battle had been already in movement. On March 20, 2003, the US and its allies launched ‘Operation Iraqi Freedom’ with the instant purpose of overthrowing Saddam Hussein. The mission achieved success, and the dictator’s rule got here crashing down.

How was Saddam Hussein introduced down? 

Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s President from 1979 to 2003, dominated with a ruthless iron fist. His regime was marked by brutal oppression, significantly in opposition to the Kurds and Shia communities. He was answerable for launching the Iran-Iraq Warfare (1980–1988) and invading Kuwait in 1990 — all reflective of his aggressive and autocratic insurance policies. The US invasion in 2003 dismantled Saddam’s regime in report time. After US forces took management of Baghdad in April, Saddam went underground. By December 2003, American troops captured him close to Tikrit, the place he was hiding in a hid underground hideout. Photos of a dishevelled, bearded Saddam shortly circulated throughout the globe, making headlines and sending shockwaves by way of the Arab world.

The trial and execution of Saddam Hussein

The autumn from energy was only the start of Saddam’s nightmare. A high-profile trial commenced below the supervision of Iraq’s interim authorities and US authorities. He confronted grave expenses equivalent to crimes in opposition to humanity, battle crimes, and genocide, with particular emphasis on the 1982 Dujail bloodbath during which 148 Shia civilians had been murdered. In November 2006, Saddam was sentenced to dying. The sentence was carried out on December 30, 2006, ending the lifetime of a person who as soon as stood among the many strongest figures within the Center East.

Saddam’s household met an identical destiny

The demise of Saddam additionally spelt doom for a lot of in his interior circle. His two infamous sons, Uday and Qusay Hussein, had been killed in a fierce gun battle with US troops in Mosul in July 2003. Qusay’s underage son additionally died within the encounter. Each Uday and Qusay had reputations soaked in blood. Uday was notorious for crimes together with rape and homicide, whereas Qusay was feared because the ruthless head of Iraq’s army and intelligence forces. With their deaths and the autumn of Saddam, the ultimate vestiges of the Hussein dynasty vanished.

Saddam’s spouse, Sajida Talfah, fled Iraq and took refuge in Jordan, the place she started a lifetime of obscurity with a few of her kids. His eldest daughter, Raghad Hussein, was not spared both. Iraq’s interim authorities had positioned her on a listing of 59 most-wanted people. Raghad additionally sought asylum in Jordan and tried unsuccessfully to launch a authorized defence for her father. Saddam’s different daughters, Rana and Hala Hussein, joined their mom in Jordan and retreated from public life completely.

What occurred to Iraq after Saddam’s fall?

The collapse of Saddam’s regime created a deep energy vacuum in Iraq. Though the US promised to construct a democratic system, the truth turned out to be far bloodier. Sectarian strife between Shia and Sunni teams erupted violently. Terrorist organisations like al-Qaeda gained floor and paved the way in which for the eventual rise of ISIS. The American intervention in Iraq turned a serious geopolitical turning level, inadvertently enabling Iran to develop its affect within the area. By means of proxy Shia militias in Iraq, Iran step by step asserted dominance and challenged each Israeli and American pursuits. At the moment, this rising Iranian energy has turn into a formidable concern, making the Center East a powder keg able to explode.

NOTE: ‘Uncle Sam’ is a standard personification of america and its authorities, typically utilized in political cartoons and propaganda. The title is claimed to have originated in the course of the Warfare of 1812, linked to a meat packer named Samuel Wilson who equipped barrels of beef to the military. The barrels had been stamped with “U.S.”, which troopers jokingly attributed to “Uncle Sam”.