Bloodbath in Baghdad - Murder of Iraqi King & The Rise of Saddam Hussein

[Music] many viewers to this channel are veterans of one or both of the recent wars fought in Iraq but you and indeed other viewers more widely May wonder why Iraq ended up as a dictatorship under the rule of Saddam Hussein the answer to that question is an event which occurred on this date in Baghdad 66 years ago in 1958 that fundamentally changed Iraq and placed it on the path to saddam's controversial rule it was an event as with so many events in the Middle East partly caused by historic British interference in the region and the event was a terrible Massacre that still polarizes opinion in Iraq today the British knew Iraq well from World War I when it was called Mesopotamia part of the Ottoman Empire in 1917 British forces had managed to capture Baghdad after some military reverses against the Turks and following World War I the Ottoman Empire was dismembered and a British Mandate of Mesopotamia was announced in fact Britain gained a whole series of such territories throughout the Middle East following the demise of the Ottoman Empire another being the Mandate of Palestine Britain also controlled Egypt the site of the strategically important Suz canal and had done so since the late 19th century and the Suz Canal which linked the British Empire together was co-owned by Britain and France Britain also had great influence in a place called trans Jordan today's Jordan along with much of the Arabian Peninsula being under British protection in 1921 the British decided that Iraq needs needed a king they chose for the king a foreigner which was aoy they had done many times all over the world a good example of this happened in 1833 with the newly independent Greece was given a monarchy King Otto who was Bavarian and later a German Danish monarchy which lasted until the Greeks got rid of the Royals in the 1970s the man the British chose to be king of Iraq was the third son of the grand Amir and Sharif of Mecca raised in Istanbul in Turkey King fisel I ascended the throne in 1921 as I mentioned he was not Iraqi but rather he was from the hashimite family a royal family that ruled several parts of the old Ottoman Empire from 1916 onwards including briefly Syria and also Jordan to the present day King fisel I was a Sunni Muslim which is the minority branch of Islam in Iraq which is a majority Shiite country however fisel I fostered something called pan arabism a desire to unite Iraq with British Palestine together with the French mandates of Syria and Lebanon all under his rule if such a thing had occurred the majority Shiite Muslims of Iraq would have been transformed into a minority in the New Kingdom which was a problem for some of their leaders fisel however was a wise King he worked hard to be a friend to both Sunni and Shiite and to the Jews and Kurds of his kingdom in Iraq he also realized the value of Iraq's oil which was largely under British control which he knew would be vital to economic development of his poor Nation he also made efforts to build up Iraq's army with the help of British military advisers in 1932 the British decided to make Iraq independent though it was a strange Independence in that Britain continued to exert huge influence over the new king and his government and to base large numbers of troops in the country the reason for this you can guess at it's the black stuff that comes out the ground however King fisel I didn't live long as an independent Monarch in 1933 he died at the age of only 48 in Burn Switzerland he was succeeded by his son who became king gazi and like his father the new King was a staunch supporter of pan arabism also wanted the British influence in his country ended King gazi's supported the coup by the Army which replaced the civilian government which caused tensions with elements of the Iraqi populace he also put about the idea that neighboring Kuwait at that time also a British possession should be annexed by Iraq something Saddam Hussein also believed in and attempted of course many years later however King gazi didn't live long either killed in a car crash in 1939 at the age of only 27 many Iraqis believed the new king had been killed on the orders of prime minister Nuri alide over the king's demands to Annex Kuwait something which the British did not want to see happen gazi was succeeded as King by a child King FAL II this posed a serious problem the new King was only three years old so a regent was appointed King gazi's first cousin Prince abdal Ilah when World War I broke out Iraq became an official Ally of the British Empire and the Western allies however a military coupet was staged in Baghdad in April 1941 by pro-german Army plotters led by four Iraqi generals they were working with German military intelligence the abair hoping to achieve full Independence for Iraq with the the help of the Germans and the Italians to see the British ejected from the country and the foreign monarchy gone King fisal II Prince abdal Ilah and prime minister alide were deposed and fled into Exile abroad Britain however acted decisively to sort the mess out British and Empire forces attacked the rebels capturing Baghdad after a lightening campaign and ejecting German and Italian support from the country the Regency was restored and British troops would occupy Iraq until 1947 the young king however spent his time in Exile in England being educated at Harrow School a top private school in London alongside his second cousin Prince Hussein later King Hussein of Jordan after the war he returned to his country and he also toured the United States and became very interested in development projects for Iraq in May 1953 fisel attained his majority and became ruler in his own right but the rise of pan arabism was making Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East politically unsettled fisel was still very young and very inexperienced and he relied on his father's cousin Prince abdal and his prime minister for advice some of this advice was very controversial forces opposed to him his Rule and his government were emerging in Iraq pan Arab nationalism anti-imperialism in in Iraq of course specifically anti-british sentiment and the rise of Communism everywhere economic inequality further strain the nation during the Regency period Prince abdal Ilah had signed an agreement with Britain in 1948 a very controversial agreement that permitted the British to continue to maintain a military presence in Iraq seemingly forever and this was confirmed by fisel II in 1955 when he rubber stamped the agreement this this was not popular huge Iraqi protests erupted the British wanted to keep control over Iraq's absolutely vital oil fields growing economic inequalities between a rich Elite around the king who were close to the British and the rest of the country led to increasing communist activity in Iraq as well in 1952 the Egyptian monarchy had been overthrown by a radical pan arabist Army Officer Colonel Gamal Abdel NASA in 1956 NASA had boldly nationalized the Suz Canal to keep all of its revenues for Egyptian development but the Canal's owners Britain and France immediately launched an invasion of Egypt to regain control an invasion that also saw the new state of Israel attack Egypt capturing sin inside Iraq the Su crisis and its outcome generated popular revulsion for the 1948 Baghdad Pact that had given Britain the right to Garrison Iraq and though he hadn't actually negotiated the pack personally King fisel II had signed it on the Region's advice many Iraqis began to see the young king as part of the problem in February 1957 an opposition group was formed called the front for National Union it included National Democrats Independents Communists and members of the B party and socialist pan Arab political group similar multaneously within the Iraqi officer Corp in the Army a supreme Committee of free officers was formed modeled on the same kind of organization that had brought Colonel NASA to power in Egypt the latter was a serious threat fisel and his government ultimately would have to rely on the Army to keep them in power if anything actually occurred attempts were made to amarate angry officers with generous benefits but it wasn't successful on the first of February 1958 Syria officially joined with Egypt to form a new country the United Arab Republic the Iraqi government did not recognize the new state however due to Blood Ties between the Iraqi and Jordanian royal families both being from the same hashimite family these two Nations now strove to form a strong Alliance themselves the 11th of February King fisel II went to Amar in Jordan to sign an agreement the 14th of February 1958 the countries declared the Arab hashimite Union between Iraq and Jordan more commonly called the Arab Federation as fisel was older than King Hussein of Jordan he became the head of state and head of a Unified Government with King Hussein his Deputy a great many ordinary Iraqis were very suspicious of its new political alignment particularly as Britain vocally supported it they thought it was another ploy to continue British influence in Iraq the groups within the Army and civil society that were opposed to British influence and also very critical of the governance of fisel II and his prime minister began to plan a coup to get rid of them by force the plotters wanted Iraq to sever its ties with Britain and the United States it was a fact that Britain at the time dominated all sectors of Iraq's government and its economy and this was deeply resented particularly when countries like Egypt had managed to throw off such influence in a successful coup even some members of the Iraqi elite were beginning to become interested in NASA's brand of pan arabism and in particular army officers who had formed the free officers movement based on NASA's model prime minister alides position had been weakened by his support for British and French intervention in Egypt during the 1956 Suz crisis Iraq was becoming politically isolated from other Arab states NASA's announcement of the United Arab Republic with Syria was the Catalyst for revolution in Iraq the kingdom of Yemen also joined the United Arab Republic soon afterwards attention then turned to Lebanon Syria was supporting the Arab nationalist movement in Lebanon that was trying to depose the pro-western government there if Syria was successful and Lebanon also joined the U Iraq and Jordan would be completely isolated so the Iraqi prime minister began to provide military aid to the Lebanese government but when alide attempted to send Iraqi troops to Jordan to bolster that country it was a step too far for the Iraqi opposition the free officers movement inside the Iraqi Army decided to act led by Brigadier abdal Karim and Colonel Abdul Salam Arif the movement orders issued to Iraqi units to go to Jordan provided the perfect cover to launch a coup the Iraqi 19th and 20th brigades of the third infantry division were to march to Jordan passing by Baghdad on the way the third division's Commander Major General gazi dastani was completely loyal to the regime of fisel II that was unaware that two of his senior officers were part of a plot to dep oppose the king and government Colonel Arif directed the 20th infantry Brigade directly towards the capital while Brigadier kasim remained in reserve with the 19th Infantry Brigade early on the 14th of July 1958 troops of the 20th Brigade captured the capital's main broadcasting station which would become the headquarters for the plotters an announcement was made over the radio to the general populace of Iraq during which Colonel Arif deand Ed an end to imperialism and the government and proclaimed a republic in the end of the royal regime an interim government was announced to consist of a three-man committee until free elections could be organized next two groups of soldiers were dispatched one to deal with the King and one his hated prime minister King fisel II was at the Rahab Palace the principal Royal residence in Baghdad the palace was well guarded by an elite bodyguard unit of soldiers the royal guard however was not part of the army chain of command it was in fact under the personal authority of the Monarch so it was theoretically immune from the Revolutionary aspirations of the free officers movement with the king at rhab Palace were Crown Prince abdal Ilah the former Regent his wife princess hyam abdal il's mother princess nafisa king fil's Aunt princess abadia and and other family members and servants it has been suggested that King fisel received a warning of an impending coup from the British via their Embassy though this cannot be confirmed and indeed he seemed to take no action if he was forewarned reab Palace was not to be fal's permanent residence a new Palace was then under construction which was to become his residence following his planned wedding to Egyptian princess Fila it is often reported that fisel II ordered his Royal Guard to offer no resistance to the rebellious soldiers that turned up at the palace Gates but in fact some firing had been exchanged between soldiers of the 20th Brigade and Palace guards Small Arms fire for the time being hearing the firing and pleased to learn that a coup was underway an army officer stationed near Baghdad Captain Abdul satar Al abusi who had been training troops at a compound on the city's outskirts gathered some of his men together and headed to the Palace ordering his men to join in the fighting for good measure abusi had an artillery gun brought up and some sources claimed that either four shells from an artillery gun or mortar bombs were fired at the palace negotiations commenced for both the surrender of the royal guard and what to do with the royal family trapped inside the palace the official story suggest that an agreement was reached whereby the royal family would surrender to the rebellious soldiers in return for an assurance assurance that they would not be harmed and would be escorted from the premises and taken elsewhere shortly after amid smoke and dust King fisel II emerged into the Royal Gardens accompanied by other members of the royal family some servants and two officers of the royal guard they were all unarmed at this point there are two versions of the reason for what happened next the plotters later stated that they intended to Exile King fisel and former region Crown Prince abdal IL abroad however many suggest that the coup plotters plan to kill the royal family to end once and for all the hashimite Dynasty in Iraq and the governmental regime and ensure that the British could not attempt to restore the king or any future heir to the throne via a counterrevolution it did make sense from their point of view the person held responsible for the massacre that followed was Captain abusi he stepped forward from the group of soldiers confronting the king and his family in the kitchen Garden of the Royal Palace and open fire on them with his submachine gun the 23-year-old King who had been scheduled to fly to Istanbul that morning and then to London to see his fiance was shot down along with all the other members of the party several killed outright others badly wounded only one person survived the massacre princess hyam abdal il's wife she was hit in the leg or the hip that she survived was probably due to the fact that some of the soldiers in the garden that day were members of her family tribe and that she was treated in hospital for her wounds and later recovered much controversy surrounds the condition of King fisel following the shooting it is often reported that he died of his wounds in a car that was taking him to hospital but princess hyam reported that Captain abusi actually finished off the king and Prince abdal IL with his pistol shooting both of the men in the head in the kitchen Garden where they lay mortally wounded princess hayam was adamant that the coup soldiers deliberately opened fire on the royal family and that Captain abusi delivered the coup de gr to the aforementioned men later recalling that quote fal's head was split in two like a coconut end quote the members of the royal family both the dead and those who were still alive were bundled into cars by the soldiers to be driven to the ministry of Defense building but along the way the corpses of the king and the Crown Prince were both dumped in the street where baying mobs of civilians horribly defiled them King fisel was stripped naked and his body was reportedly hung from a lamp post Prince abdal Ilah considered by the coup plotters to be a traitor to Iraq for his dealings with the British during the Regency and many other reasons became a target of the crowd his naked corpse was dragged through the the streets behind the car before his hands and feet were hacked off what was left of him was then hung From a Balcony once the mob had been sated the bodies were cut down and along with the other corpses and the wounded driven to al- Rashid military hospital for identification Andor treatment in the evening a hole was dug near the hospital and fisel II's corpse was unceremoniously dumped in it and covered over the rest of the Dead were cremated and their remains were C into the Tigris River the hated prime minister Nuri Al sad was also eventually apprehended after he attempt to escape and he and a companion were both shot dead outside's corpse was also horribly abused by a mob before being buried in a cemetery that evening the corpse of fisol II was disinterred during the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein and reentered under a marble tomb next to that of his father King gazi in the restored Royal Cemetery in Baghdad the coup caught the Western Powers completely by surprise the CIA believed that Egyptian leader colonel nassa was behind it Brigadier cim became prime minister and Minister of Defense while his second in command Colonel Arif became Deputy Prime Minister and minister of the interior and the legislature was replaced by a revolutionary Council the new government ruled over a broad Coalition of different political factions who were not ideologically disposed to cooperation in 1959 the new Iraqi regime broke off ties with Britain and the United States and instead made alliances with left-wing and communist countries including the Soviet Union prime minister kasim was himself overthrown in a coup launched by the bath party in 1963 and prominent BST General akmad albaka became prime minister thousands of left-wing or communist Iraqis were sub ly rounded up and killed with Baka himself being overthrown in a counter coup by Deputy Prime Minister Arif in November 1963 3 years later a NASA back coup was attempted against Arif but failed but in 1968 the Iraqi bath party again took power in a bloodless coup this time with albaka as prime minister one bath leader who was very close to the prime minister at this time was a person called Saddam Hussein Saddam was appointed vice president of Iraq by albaka and he nationalized the Iraqi petroleum company and presided over the second Iraqi Kurdish war of 1974 to 75 when albaka resigned in 1979 Sadam took power as prime minister though in reality he had in fact been the defacto leader of Iraq for some years he ordered a bloody Purge of the bath party and in 1980 invaded Iran beginning a decade long struggle there until in 1990 he accused Kuwait of stealing Iraqi oil and invaded precipitating the first Gulf War it is clear to see that the massacre of King fisel II and his family the 14th of July 1958 made possible the rise to power of Saddam Hussein and all the conflict and human suffering that that would entail if fisel and his visor had been more attuned to the growing Anti-Imperialist and pan arabist movements that swept the Middle East in the 1950s perhaps fisel could have kept his throne and Iraq's history would have been altogether different whether Iraq became a better country following fil's ugly demise is open to debate as is whether fisel and his family's rule was better or worse than that which followed his death his death and his legacy are still hotly debated in Iraq today today but we can all I'm sure agree that the massacre of the royal family was a bestial act in and of itself and one that changed Iraqi politics and society and indeed world history forever thanks for watching please subscribe and share and also visit my audiobook Channel War stories with Mark Felton you can also help to support both of my channels at PayPal and patreon details in the description box below

Channel: Mark Felton Productions

Views: 264,700

Keywords: Mark Felton, King Feisal II of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, King Hussein of Jordan, Gulf War, Baghdad

Id: vjtWOYLV_bQ

Length: 24min 0sec (1440 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 12 2024