Hussein Reportedly Executed Hero of Iran-Iraq War
Saddam Hussein executed a hero of the 1980-88 war with Iran last month to crush opposition within the military to his beleaguered regime, diplomats and travelers from Baghdad said Saturday.
Other sources who recently were in the Iraqi capital said 30 more military officers were shot about the same time, apparently to head off a possible military coup.
There was no immediate independent confirmation of either report, and it was not clear whether they were related.
Diplomatic sources said retired army Maj. Gen. Abdul Wahid Shanan Rabat, decorated for bravery and leadership in the war against Iran, was executed in mid-September.
One source said that Rabat apparently was trying to organize an opposition movement among Shiite Muslims in southern Iraq, where Hussein crushed a rebellion last year after the Gulf War.
The reports come as Iraqi opposition groups appear to be closing ranks to establish a credible alternative to Hussein and win growing recognition from the West.
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