Dujail (33°51′N 44°14′E, Arabic: الدجيل; alternate spelling: Ad Dujayl) is a small Shiite town in northern Iraq. It is situated 40 miles north of Iraq's capital, Baghdad, and has approximately 10,000 inhabitants. Arabic ( or just ), is the largest member of the family of Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew, Amharic, and Aramaic. ... Shī‘a Islam, also Shi‘ite Islam, or Shi‘ism (Arabic ) is the second largest denomination of the Islamic faith. ... Baghdad ( translit: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ...

Assassination attempt and reprisals

Dujail was the site of an unsuccessful assassination attempt against then Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein, on July 8, 1982. The town was a stronghold of the Shiite Dawa Party, a group strongly opposed to Saddam Hussein and his war with Iran. Saddam Hussein was visiting the town to make a speech praising those who had served Iraq in the fight against Iran. While driving through the village centre, his motorcade was attacked by one or more members of the Dawa Party. The president was unharmed in the three-hour firefight which ensued. Assassin and Targeted killing redirect here. ... The President of Iraq is Iraqs head of state. ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majidida al-Tikriti (Arabic: ‎ [1]; born April 28, 1937[2]), was the President of Iraq from July 16, 1979 until April 9, 2003, when he was deposed during the United States-led 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... July 8 is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 176 days remaining. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Islamic Dawa Party or Islamic Call Party (Arabic حزب الدعوة الإسلامية Hizb al-Dawa al-Islamiyya) is, historically, a militant Shiite Islamic group and, presently, an Iraqi political party. ... Combatants  Iran Iraq Commanders Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini Abolhassan Banisadr Ali Shamkhani Mostafa Chamran† Saddam Hussein Ali Hassan al-Majid Strength 305,000 soldiers 500,000 Passdaran and Baseej militia 1,000 tanks 1,000 armored vehicles 3,000 artillery pieces 65 aircraft 720 helicopters[1] 190,000 soldiers 4,500...

Saddam Hussein ordered his special security and military forces to carry out a reprisal attack against the town. His orders were obeyed. A total 150 of the town's men were killed in the attack or executed later, a number of which were boys 13 years of age.^[1] 1,500 people were also incarcerated and tortured, while other residents, many of them women and children, were sent to desert camps. Saddam's regime destroyed the town and then rebuilt it shortly after. In addition to these punishments, 1,000 square kilometres (250,000 acres) of farmland was destroyed; replanting was only permitted 10 years later.^[2] Dorchester Penitentiary in New Brunswick, Canada is an institution that is part of Corrections Canada. ... The word torture is commonly used to mean the infliction of pain to break the will of the victim(s). ...

A resident of Dujail recalled the incident at Hussein's trial in December 2005, stating that he had witnessed Baathist torture and murder in the government reprisal, including the murders of 7 of his 10 brothers.^[3] Saddam Hussein during his first appearance before the Iraqi Special Tribunal Saddam as he is being sentenced Saddam Hussein, the former President of Iraq, was tried by the interim Iraqi government for crimes against humanity. ... December 2005 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → 31 December 2005 (Saturday) 25-year-old Scottish human rights worker Kate Burton and her parents are freed unharmed in the Gaza Strip by the Palestinian gunmen who kidnapped them two days earlier. ...

References

• Saddam trial to open with village massacre A little-known massacre at a village where residents tried to assassinate Saddam Hussein in 1982 will be the focus of the first case in the trial of the former Iraqi president. (The Guardian; June 7th, 2005)
• At Hussein's Hearings, U.S. May Be on Trial The first crime of which Saddam Hussein is accused in the current trial, the secret execution of 143 Shiites arrested in 1982. He is also accused of using poison gas against Iranian troops, of genocide against the Kurds and of massacring tens of thousands to end the 1991 uprising after his defeat in the Gulf War. The problem for the Bush administration with these other, far graver charges, is that the Americans are implicated in them either through acts of commission or omission. (Znet; December 1st, 2005)
• Seeking justice in Dujail It is a sight that most Iraqis never thought they would see - the man who ruled over them for more than two decades standing trial, in an Iraqi court and before Iraqi judges. (BBC; November 25th, 2005)
• The 1982 incident led to Saddam being sentenced to death by hanging. This was released to the British public at 9:00a.m. on November 5, 2006.
• External link: "The Iraqi Holocaust - Dujail".