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General's Execution Is Opposed

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By ALISSA J. RUBIN, The New York Times

Published: September 8, 2007

BAGHDAD - Seven U.S. troops were killed in two separate attacks, the military announced Friday, while Iraq's president said he would vote against carrying out the death sentence of a former defense minister, Gen. Sultan Hashim Ahmed.

It was unclear whether President Jalal Talabani's position on the execution would make a difference, as there are disputes among legal experts about whether the president and the two vice presidents must affirm death sentences before they are carried out. Talabani, however, said at a news conference in Sulaimaniya that he would vote against the sentence if given the chance.

This week, the Iraqi High Tribunal affirmed the death sentences handed down by a lower court against Ahmed, Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as 'Chemical Ali' for his role in chemical weapons attacks against the Kurds, and Hussein Rashid Mohammed, the former deputy director of operations for the Iraqi air force.

The three were found guilty of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for their involvement in an operation that resulted in the deaths of 180,000 Kurds in the late 1980s.

The court was closely divided on the sentence of Ahmed, though, approving it by a 5-4 vote. The executions must be carried out within 30 days of Sept. 4.

Talabani said that Ahmed was a professional soldier who had been forced to carry out Saddam Hussein's orders under death threats, and that the general had reached out to the Kurds. 'I had a relationship with Hashim and urged him to rebel against the former regime, and now, how can I vote for his execution?' he said. 'No, no, I won't do it.'

Four soldiers were killed Thursday in Anbar province while on combat operations, the military announced. Three soldiers died in an attack in Nineveh province in northern Iraq.

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