Al-Shaikhly was born on April 28, 1937. Coming from an aristocratic family, he was a cousin and classmate of Saddam Hussein and it is believed Saddam used his birthday as his own.^[2]^[3] Hussein escaped prison with him in 1964.^[4]^[5]

Shaikhly founded Jihaz Haneen, a paramilitary organization run by Hussein until President Abdul Rahman Arif was overthrown in the 17 July Revolution of 1968.^[6]

Al-Shaikhly served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 31 July 1968 to 29 September 1971, and as Iraq's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1972 to 1974.^[7]

Shaikhly was recalled to Baghdad in late 1978.^[8] Upon his arrival, he was arrested and prosecuted for criticising Saddam Hussein's government while he was in New York, and sentenced to six years in prison but released a year later.^[8] Within weeks, on April 8, 1980, he was assassinated while visiting a post office by two members^[who?] of the Iraqi Intelligence Service on Hussein's order.^[8]^[9]^[10]

Biography

References