Timeline: Saddam's Life And Career
POSTED: 8:17 am MST December 14, 2003
UPDATED: 8:55 am MDT October 18, 2005
A glance at the life of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein until his capture by U.S. troops:
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- April 28, 1937: Born in village near desert town of Tikrit, north of Baghdad. 1957: Joins underground Baath Socialist Party. 1958: Arrested for killing his brother-in-law, a Communist, spends six months in prison. Oct. 7, 1959: On Baath assassination team that ambushes Iraqi strongman Gen. Abdel-Karim Kassem in Baghdad, wounding him. Saddam, wounded in leg, flees to Syria then Egypt. Feb. 8, 1963: Returns from Egypt after Baath takes part in coup that overthrows and kills Kassem. Baath ousted by military in November. July 17, 1968: Baathists and army officers overthrow regime. July 30, 1968: Takes charge of internal security after Baath ousts erstwhile allies and authority passes to Revolutionary Command Council under Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, Saddam's cousin. July 16, 1979: Takes over as president from al-Bakr, launches massive purge of Baath. Sept. 22, 1980: Sends forces into Iran; war last eight years. March 28, 1988: Uses chemical weapons against Kurdish town of Halabja, killing estimated 5,000 civilians. Aug. 2, 1990: Invades Kuwait. Jan. 17, 1991: Attacked by U.S.-led coalition; Kuwait liberated in a month. March, 1991: Crushes Shiite revolt in south and Kurd revolt in north. April 17, 1991: Complying with U.N. Resolution 687, starts providing information on weapons of mass destruction, but accused of cheating. Feb. 20, 1996: Orders killing of two sons-in-law who in 1995 defected to Jordan and had just returned to Baghdad after receiving guarantees of safety. Dec. 16, 1998: Weapons inspectors withdrawn from Iraq. Hours later, four days of U.S.-British air and missile strikes begin as punishment for lack of cooperation. Nov. 8, 2002: Threatened with "serious consequences" if he does not disarm in U.N. Security Council resolution. Nov. 27, 2002: Allows U.N. experts to begin work in Iraq for first time since 1998. Dec. 7, 2002: Delivers to United Nations declaration denying Iraq has weapons of mass destruction; later, United States says declaration is untruthful and United Nations says it is incomplete. March 1, 2003: United Arab Emirates, at an Arab League summit, becomes first Arab nation to propose publicly that Saddam step down. March 7, 2003: United States, Britain and Spain propose ordering Saddam to give up banned weapons by March 17 or face war; other nations led by France on polarized U.N. Security Council oppose any new resolution that would authorize military action. March 17, 2003: United States, Britain and Spain declare time for diplomacy over, withdraw proposed resolution. President Bush gives Saddam 48 hours to leave Iraq. March 18, 2003: Iraq's leadership rejects Bush's ultimatum. March 20, 2003: U.S. forces open war with military strike on target near Baghdad aimed at Iraq's leadership. April 9, 2003: Jubilant crowds greet U.S. Marines in Baghdad, go on looting rampages, topple 40-foot statue of Saddam in Firdos Square. July 22, 2003: Saddam's sons, Qusai and Odai, killed in gunbattle with U.S. troops. December 13, 2003: Saddam is captured near his hometown of Tikrit after eight months in hiding. June 30, 2004: Transferred to Iraqi custody. July 1, 2004: Arraigned before judge and defiantly rejects charges of war crimes and genocide. Dec.17, 2004: Sees Iraqi lawyer for first time since capture. June 13, 2005: Shown in video being questioned about 1982 massacre in Dujail. July 13, 2005: Faces first charges as tribunal chief judge says investigation into Dujail killings complete. Aug. 23, 2005: Fires legal team. Oct. 19, 2005: Scheduled to face trial in Dujail case.
