Hardan al-Tikriti

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Hardan ’Abdul Ghaffar al-Tikriti
1925 – 30 March 1971
Place of birth Flag of Iraq Tikrit, Iraq
Place of death Kuwait
Allegiance Flag of Iraq Iraq
Service/branch Iraqi Air Force
Rank Air Marshal[1] or Lieutenant General[2]
Other work Iraqi Minister of Defence
Deputy Premier of Iraq
Iraqi Ambassador to Sweden

Hardan ’Abdul Ghaffar al-Tikriti (Arabic: حردان عبدالغفار التكريتي‎‎) (1925[3]–30 March 1971[4][5]) was a senior Iraqi Air Force commander, Iraqi politician and ambassador who was assassinated on the orders of Saddam Hussein,[6] the then vice chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council.

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[edit] Early life

Hardan was born in 1925 in Tikrit. His father was a police officer and a Sunni Arab.

[edit] Air Force and Baath Party

As an officer in the Iraqi Air Force, he was educated at the flight and staff academies in Baghdad. In 1961, Hardan joined the Baath Party and he played a key role in both the 1963 and 1968 revolutions in Iraq.[3]

By the start of 1963, Hardan was the commander of the Iraqi Air Force base near Mosul. On 8 March 1963, with the Baath Party fighting to gain control of Syria, Hardan ordered an air attack on the part of the Syrian air base at Aleppo that was in the hands of supporters of the old government. However, whilst the strike aircraft were en route, the Syrian Baathists took the air base and the attack was cancelled.[6]

During the period in 1963 when the Baathists were in power in Iraq, Hardan was appointed as commander of the entire Iraqi Air Force. However, when the President Abdul Salam Arif withdrew his support from the Baath Party in late 1963, Hardan followed suit. Hardan then relinquished his command and was appointed Defence Minister in which capacity he served from November 1963 until March 1964.[3]

[edit] Role in 1968 coup

During the 1968 coup, in the early hours of 17 July 1968, Hardan telephoned the sitting Prime Minister Abdul Rahman Arif to inform him that he had been removed from office.[7] Hardan then escorted Arif to the airport where the deposed Prime Minister was flown out of the country.[3]

[edit] Minister of Defence (1968 to 1970)

Hardan was re-appointed Minister of Defence in the aftermath of the 1968 coup.[8] During his time as Defence Minister, Hardan was instrumental in securing large-scale military aid for Iraq from the Soviet Union.[9]

[edit] Fall from power and assassination

On 15 October 1970, following a power struggle with Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr and Saddam, Hardan was dismissed from the posts of Minister of Defence and Deputy Premier of Iraq. He was also dismissed from the Revolutionary Command Council.[5] After a period of exile in London, Hardan was appointed as Iraqi Ambassador to Sweden. However, Hardan disliked being away from the Iraqi political scene and he travelled to Kuwait from where he attempted to organize a coup against Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr and Saddam Hussain. On 30 March 1971, Hardan was assassinated on the orders of Saddam Hussein in Kuwait.[6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ (1971) Area Handbook for Iraq, 2nd Edition (in English), Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, vii. Retrieved on 2007-10-20. 
  2. ^ Iraqis in Amman Site Mukhabarat Agent (HTML) (English). The Iraq Foundation (2000-02-02). Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
  3. ^ a b c d Ghareeb, Edmund A (2004). Historical Dictionary of Iraq (in English). Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0810843307. 
  4. ^ Baram, Amatzia (2003-07-08). The Iraqi Tribes and the Post-Saddam System (HTML) (English). Brookings Institution. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.
  5. ^ a b Biography of Saddam Hussein of Tikrit (HTML) (English). The Iraq Foundation (2002). Retrieved on 2007-10-14.
  6. ^ a b c Sada, Georges; Black, J N (2006). Saddam's Secrets (in English). Integrity Media Europe. ISBN 1591455049. 
  7. ^ Abdel-Rahman Aref, 91, Former Iraqi President, Is Dead (HTML) (English). New York Times (2007-08-25). Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
  8. ^ Book Review: A Former Iraqi Minister Speaks: The Memoirs of Ex-Planning Minister Jawad Hashim (HTML) (English). JMH International (2004). Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
  9. ^ Ismael, Tareq Y.; Ismael, J S (1991). Politics and Government in the Middle East and North Africa (in English). University Press of Florida, 176. ISBN 0813010438.