Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Tai

Sulṭān Hāshim Aḥmad Muḥammad al-Ṭāʾī (Arabic: سلطان هاشم أحمد محمد الطائي‎; 1945[1] – July 19, 2020) was an Iraqi military commander, who served as Minister of Defense under Saddam Hussein's regime. Considered one of Iraq's most competent military commanders, he was appointed to the position in 1995. During his thirty-year military career, Sultan commanded two brigades, three divisions, and two corps of regular army corps before assuming responsibilities as Minister of Defense.

Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Tai
Ahmad in December 2004
Iraqi Minister of Defence
In office
1995–2003
PresidentSaddam Hussein
Prime MinisterSaddam Hussein
Preceded byAli Hassan al-Majid
Succeeded byHazim al-Shaalan
Governor of Nineveh
In office
1994–1999
Preceded by?
Succeeded byAbdul-Wahid Shannan ar-Ribat
Personal details
Born1945 (1945)
Mosul, Iraq
DiedJuly 19, 2020(2020-07-19) (aged 74–75)
Nasiriyah Central Prison, Iraq
Political partyArab Socialist Ba'ath Party
Military service
Allegiance Iraq
Branch/serviceIraqi Army
Years of service1960–2003
Battles/warsIran–Iraq War
Persian Gulf War

Career
Ahmad at Persian Gulf War ceasefire talks in Safwan, Iraq, on March 3, 1991 with American interpreter Rick Francona

Persian Gulf War

Ahmad served in the Iraqi Army during the 1980–1988 Iran–Iraq War and later in the Persian Gulf War, signing the ceasefire that ended it. He survived several purges and became the highest-ranking general in the Iraqi Army. He was regarded largely as a figurehead in the Iraqi military without any amount of real control.

Iraq War

As the invasion of Iraq loomed, it was reported in The Guardian in February 2003 that Ahmad had been placed under house arrest by Saddam Hussein, in a move that was apparently designed to prevent a coup.[2] Nevertheless, he continued to appear on Iraqi state-run T.V., to preserve a sense of normality.

Ahmad was number 27 on the United States' list of most wanted former Iraqi officials. On September 19, 2003, after nearly a week of negotiations, he gave himself up in Mosul to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). Dawood Bagistani, who arranged the surrender to Maj. Gen. David Petraeus, said Ahmad was handed over "with great respect" and was with his family at the time. Bagistani said the U.S. military had promised to remove Ahmad's name from the list of 55 most-wanted, meaning he would not face indefinite confinement and possible prosecution. "We trust the promise," Bagistani said.

Special treatment for Ahmad Al-Tai could be an effort to defuse the guerrilla-style attacks that were taking a toll on American soldiers. Many of the attackers are thought to be former soldiers in Saddam's army. Seeing their former military leader well-treated by the Americans might have encouraged them to lay down their arms.

On June 24, 2007, he was sentenced to death by hanging for War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity. However his execution was not carried out because of public disapproval from Iraq's president Jalal Talabani.[3] In May 2018, Iraq's Parliament speaker Salim al-Jabouri, requested a pardon for Ahmad Al-Tai alleging medical reasons.[4] He then was transferred from the prison in Nasiriyah to a prison in Baghdad.[5]

Death

Ahmad Al-Tai died on July 19, 2020 from a heart attack in the Nasiriyah Central Prison.[6]

References
  1. "وفاة سلطان هاشم وزير الدفاع في نظام صدام حسين". شفق نيوز.
  2. "Iraqi defence minister 'under house arrest' | World news | The Guardian". August 26, 2013. Archived from the original on August 26, 2013.
  3. "Iraqi president opposes minister's hanging". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
  4. "Iraqi Parliamentary Speaker seeks pardon for Saddam Hussein's Defense Minister". www.kurdistan24.net. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
  5. "Saddam's former minister pleads for clemency as health deteriorates". The National. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
  6. "تلفزيون الناصرية: وفاة وزير الدفاع الاسبق سلطان هاشم في سجن الحوت". July 19, 2020.
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