Supporters of Saddam Hussein are expected to be gathered in the city of Tikrit and his grave which is nearby. Tikrit is considered to be the power base of Saddam Hussein and his followers. He was executed by hanging after being convicted of the killings of almost 150 Shia Muslims in Dujail in the 80s.
Before his death, the executioners had taunted Saddam. That conduct had embarrassed the Iraqi government. Those scenes were captured via mobile phones and quickly transmitted throughout the world.
Many world leaders criticized the way the death was carried out. The execution of Saddam Hussein made the rift with the Shia groups in Iraq worse. Officials said that some supporters will visit Saddam’s grave.
“There are men who used to support him, and there are still some of his loyalists left,” according to Abdul Karim Khalaf, spokesman for the interior ministry.
“If we see any criminal acts aimed at harming our fellow citizens, there are preparations and procedures in place to make certain that such attempts fail,” Khalaf added.
On Saturday, 2,000 people celebrated the life of Saddam Hussein in Jordan’s capital, Amman.
According to BBC, the Iraqi government maintains that Saddam’s execution had killed hopes that his supporters will return to power. It says that it helped shift the loyalty of Sunnis to the mainstream political process instead of going to the insurgency.
Other members under Saddam are on death row. Members include former Defense Minister Sultan Hashim al-Tai, senior army chief Hussein Rashid al-Takriti, and Ali Hassan al-Majid who is known as “Chemical Ali.”
Chemical Ali is on death row for the gas attacks on the Kurds in 1988.
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