Saddam sons reburied near father

14/03/2007| IslamWeb

The bodies of Saddam Hussein's two sons and his grandson have been reburied near the former Iraqi leader's grave in his hometown, tribal leaders said.

Uday and Qusay Hussein, and 14-year-old Mustafa Hussein, died in a gun battle with US troops months after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003.

They were moved to the courtyard of Saddam Hussein's burial hall from nearby Ouja cemetery, relatives said.

Saddam Hussein was convicted for crimes against humanity last year and hanged.

"It happened yesterday. We took the bodies from Ouja cemetery and we put them close to the graves of Awad al- Bandar and Barzan," said Ali Nida, head of Saddam Hussein's Albu Nasir tribe.

Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, Saddam Hussein's half-brother, and al-Bandar, his former intelligence chief, were both hanged after the same trial.

Ornate shrine

Mr Nida and several close relatives accompanied the bodies as they were transferred in three cars from Ouja cemetery about two kilometres (1.2 miles) away on Tuesday.

Prayers were held near the five burial mounds covered with Iraqi flags.

Since his burial in January, many of Saddam Hussein's supporters have visited the ornate shrine in Ouja, on the outskirts of Tikrit, north of the capital Baghdad.

Mr Nida said the bodies had been moved in accordance with the family's wishes, ruling out speculation of a political motive.

"It was to gather all the family in one place," he said.

Correspondent say there is speculation the bodies were moved to prevent their graves being desecrated in the public cemetery.

Uday had a fearsome reputation for cruelty, including allegations of rape and torture. He was replaced as Saddam Hussein's heir apparent by Qusay after the elder brother was caught in an ambush that left him temporarily paralysed.

Photo caption

Graves of Saddam's sons, grandson and co-accused in Ouja