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Saddam buried beside his sons near Tikrit Tikrit: Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's body was laid to rest early morning today in a scantily attended function in his home village of Awja near Tikrit in northern Iraq. According to a relative of Saddam, the burial took place at 4.00 am local time at a place constructed during his regime in the centre of the village. Saddam's body was handed over to his tribe leaders for the burial, which was conducted in the family area, beside his sons' cemetery. His sons Uday and Qusay, killed by US troops in 2003, are also buried in Awja. The head of the Albu Nasir tribe, Ali al-Nida was informed of the low-key burial, less than 24 hours after the former Iraqi president was hanged for killings 148 Shias in Dujail village in 1982. Saddam's body was flown to Awja in a US military aircraft just hours after the execution, and handed over to clan chieftains for the ritual. It was reported earlier that his family had demanded that the former Iraqi leader be buried in Ramadi - a Sunni insurgent stronghold. There were also reports of bombings and violent protests in Baghdad following the execution. At least 68 persons have been reported killed or wounded in yesterday's bombings. Saddam was hanged at 6.00 am local time (8.30 am IST) on December 30. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who had signed Saddam's death sentence, had demanded that Saddam's execution take place before the end of the year. Saddam was in US custody ever since his capture by US troops on December 13, 2003 from a tiny cellar under a farmhouse near his hometown of Tikrit. An Iraqi court had sentenced Saddam to death on November 5 this year. The execution took place outside Baghdad's Green Zone at an unspecified location. Saddam's half-brother Barzan al-Tikriti and former Iraqi chief judge Awad Hamed al-Bandar would be executed at a later date. Saddam is survived by his wife Sajida Talfah and daughters Raghad, Rana and Hala. Raghad, who lives in Jordan, had demanded Saddam to be buried in Yemen. Muslims in Mumbai pray for Saddam Top Mumbai: Amidst sporadic protests denouncing the execution of Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Muslims in Mumbai offered prayers for the departed leader. Dozens of Muslims collected outside a mosque to offer prayers for Saddam. "We have offered special ('Namaz-e-janaza') prayers for Saddam. Islam allows that even if the deceased is far away, one can offer prayers for them. We have offered prayers for Saddam and we all are together to pray to God that he gets a place in 'Jannat'," said Ibrahim Tai, President of the Muslim Council Trust. They also took out a protest march against US President George W Bush accusing him of 'killing' Saddam. Saddam Hussein was hanged for crimes against humanity at dawn on Saturday. Thousands of people, mostly Muslims and Communists took to streets across the country against the execution, accusing Bush of murdering him. Most protestors have been demanding that New Delhi strongly condemn America for the 'unfair' execution. The protests came as New Delhi, which had friendly relations with Saddam's Iraq, said it was disappointed he was executed but hoped it would not hurt the process of reconciliation and restoration of peace in that country. Outrage in southern India against execution Top Coimbatore/Trivandrum/Kochi: Protests continued in several parts of the country over the execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. In Coimbatore, Muslims led by Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam (TNMMK) took out a protest march against US President George W Bush, saying his greed for oil had made him kill Saddam. "Saddam Hussein was hanged for killing 148 Shia Muslims in Iraq. Even after a strong objection from world leaders and several countries, his execution was carried out. In this situation what is the UNO doing? The main reason for killing Saddam Hussein is only for looting petrol from Iraq. We don't accept this judgement for Saddam. Bush should be hanged for killing thousands of people in Iraq, no Muslims in this world keep quiet until Bush is hanged," said TNNMK spokesperson Syed. Protestors turned violent, burning effigies of Bush and shouting slogans against him, leading to a scuffle with police officials. In Thiruvananthapuram, the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) -CPI (M)-and opposition Congress Party held demonstrations against Bush and the execution of Saddam. "We are protesting against the killing of Saddam Hussein and the human rights violation by imperialistic forces. We are protesting without causing inconvenience to the general public," said V. Sivankutty, a CPI (M) legislator. The parties also called for a statewide shutdown to mark their protest. Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav also condemned the execution. "The ex-president of Iraq was a friend of India. Rashtriya Janta Dal and the entire country is astonished at the wrong method by which he has been purposely hanged. We strongly condemn it," said Yadav during his visit to Thiruvananthapuram. In Kochi, protestors went on a rampage, attacking an American Bank office. The former Iraqi president, ousted in April 2003 by a US-led invasion, was convicted in November for the killings of 148 Shi'ite villagers from Dujail after a failed assassination bid in 1982. An appeals court upheld the death penalty on Tuesday and the government rushed through the procedures to hang him by the end of the year and before the Eid al-Adha holiday that starts on Saturday, coinciding with the Haj pilgrimage to Mecca. |
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