Saddam's aide executed
Taha Yassin Ramadan was executed overnight
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Tuesday, 20, Mar 2007 11:09
Former Iraqi vice-president Taha Yassin Ramadan has been executed for crimes against humanity.
Saddam Hussain's former deputy was sent to the gallows overnight for his role in the mass murder of 148 Shias in the Dujail village following a failed assassination attempt on Saddam's life in 1982.
The former Iraqi president himself was hanged at the turn of the year. Video footage of the execution showed Saddam being mocked as he went to his death, prompting criticism of the entire legal process.
But last night's execution - the fourth where a senior Baathist party figure has been put to death - seems to have taken place with less incident.
"Ramadan was hanged at 03:05 (00:05 GMT) today," the AFP news agency quoted an Iraqi government official as saying.
"The execution was smooth with no violation."
The hanging comes on the fourth anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq, which led to the overthrowing of Saddam's government.
Since March 2003, tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians have been killed, as well as thousands of coalition troops, as insurgent violence continued unabated.
US president George Bush yesterday attempted to reassure an increasingly unhappy American public over the Iraq war, insisting it would be "devastating" for US security interests if troops were to withdraw.
Mr Bush conceded that the temptation to leave the Middle Eastern country would be "satisfying in the short run" but remained adamant the war can be won.
"Today the world is rid of Saddam Hussein and a tyrant has been held to account for his crimes by his own people," he said in a televised address.