The Anfal trial, in which Saddam is accused of killing 180,000 Kurds when he was a US ally, resumed again this morning, nine days after the former president’s death. The first order of business was to drop all charges against Saddam. The Kurdish community, who says they suffered genocide under the rule of the dictator, is upset that he will never be convicted of the crime. According to Chief Judge Mohammed Oreibi al-Khalifa, the court decided to stop all legal action since “the death of defendant Saddam death was confirmed”.

Six codefendants still face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for their roles. All defendants have denied the charges. Saddam and another man had previously pleaded not guilty to the additional charge of genocide. The Kurdish killings, code-named Operation Anfal, took place during the Iran-Iraq war. The chemical weapons Saddam used to commit these atrocities were provided by firms in the United States, Germany, the UK, France, and China.

Were Saddam alive for this trial, it’s possible that several diplomats and government organizations, such as Donald Rumsfeld and the CIA, would have been named as accessories for aiding him in the above-mentioned charges. With his death goes his testimony.

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