Ali Hassan al-Majid, the Iraqi commander known as ”Chemical Ali”, who allegedly carried out chemical weapons attacks against the Kurds in 1988, has been captured and is in custody in the United States, a US defence official said on Thursday.
”It looks like he’s alive and well and in our custody,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official could not offer any details on the circumstances surrounding Majid’s capture, but the US central command was expected to make an announcement shortly.
A cousin of Saddam Hussein who, like the deposed Iraqi leader, hailed from the northern city of Tikrit, Majid was considered the president’s right-hand man, and his services were regularly called on to break the back of any uprising against the regime.
Majid was number five on the US’s list of the 55 most wanted Iraqi officials. — Sapa-AFP