Iraq arrests former regime official linked to Anfal genocide campaign

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s National Security Service announced the arrest of Ajaj Ahmad Hardan Al-Tikriti , known as “Hajjaj Nugra Salman,” a former Baath-era official who participated in Anfal genocide campaign against the Kurds.

The operation followed a six-month intelligence effort to locate the fugitive, who had faked his death to avoid prosecution. Authorities apprehended him in Salah Al-Din Governorate, where he had been in hiding, according to a statement from NSS.

Anfal, conducted between Feb. 22 and Sept. 6, 1988, was a systematic genocide orchestrated by Iraq’s Baath regime targeting the Kurdish population. The campaign involved eight phases and led to the mass killing of an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 Kurds, according to a 1993 Human Rights Watch report. Kurdish sources believe the number could be as high as 182,000.

“This operation comes as part of ongoing efforts to pursue criminals from the former regime,” the statement said. Ajaj Ahmad Hardan Al-Tikriti was described as “one of the most wanted henchmen of the former regime.”

The statement added, “In an attempt to mislead security agencies, his relatives had claimed he was dead throughout the past period. However, intelligence efforts, data analysis, and cross-referencing with previous confessions contributed to uncovering his location and identifying his hideout in Salah Al-Din Governorate.”

The agency said Hardan held several posts in Iraq’s internal security system during the Baathist era, including as security officer of notorious Nugra Salman prison. Other roles included postings in Rumaytha, Najmi, Hilal, Muthanna, and Busayyah.

Constructed in 1930 near the village of Salman in the Muthanna, Nugra Salman was used extensively during the 1980s, especially during Anfal, to detain thousands of Kurds. The prison is seen as a symbol of the Baath regime’s brutal repression.

He is accused of taking part in executions and the burial of victims in mass graves, especially targeting Kurds forcibly relocated to Muthanna governorate. The charges include torture, rape, and murder inside Nugra Salman prison.

“Justice will continue to pursue all those whose hands are stained with innocent blood,” the National Security Service said, “and time will not be a refuge for those fleeing rightful retribution.”

After obtaining judicial approval and documenting statements from victims and plaintiffs, the suspect was handed over to the relevant investigative authorities.

The Baath Party ruled Iraq from 1968 until the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 and was officially banned following the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime.