ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq has arrested the man accused of overseeing torture and executions at Nugra Salman prison during the genocidal Anfal campaign that targeted Kurds in the late 1980s.
The Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) in Muthanna province, coordinating with the security directorate in Salahaddin, “were able to arrest one of the most wanted henchmen of the former regime, the fugitive Hajaj Ahmed Hardan, nicknamed ‘Hajaj Nugra al-Salman,’ who served as the security officer of the infamous Nugra al-Salman prison,” the INSS said in a statement on Friday.
He was arrested after a months-long investigation.
“We have been cooperating and coordinating with Iraq's National Security [Service] for eight months to achieve a good result, which is how we reached this good outcome of Hajaj's arrest,” Pari Nuri, advisor to the Iraqi presidency, told Rudaw on Friday.
According to Nuri, Hajaj Ahmed Hardan al-Tikriti, from the al-Bunasr tribe linked to Saddam Hussein, was detained several days ago. His arrest was first announced on Thursday by the office of Iraq’s First Lady Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed.
In 1988, Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath regime launched the genocidal Anfal campaign, systematically targeting Kurdish villages and arresting thousands. Young men were often executed and women, children and the elderly were sent to Nugra Salman prison in Iraq’s southern desert near the Saudi border.
The INSS said Tikriti “committed a series of crimes against humanity against hundreds of Iraqi citizens, particularly those of Kurdish origin who were forcibly exiled to Muthanna governorate. These crimes included torture, murder, and rape inside this infamous detention center.”
Tikriti evaded capture for so long because his family claimed he had died, according to the INSS. His hiding place was found in Salahaddin province.
Survivors remember Nugra Salman as a place of daily beatings, hunger and fear, made worse by Tikriti’s brutality.
“He kicked prisoners until they stopped breathing,” said Omar Mohammed, a researcher who has spent years documenting the testimonies of Anfal survivors. “His name alone terrified everyone.”
In 2017, rare black-and-white photos of Tikriti surfaced in Basra, shared by Abu Adnani, who knew someone who had trained with the accused executioner.
“Through an old friend in Baghdad, I got hold of these photos,” Adnani said. One showed Tikriti eating a live snake, another swallowing a scorpion.
“Brutality and cruelty could be seen in Hajaj’s eyes,” a Rudaw correspondent wrote after seeing the images.
To confirm the photos, reporters traveled to the ruins of Nugra Salman prison, where the walls still bear Kurdish inscriptions scratched by prisoners. Azab Shamari, a local resident who saw Tikriti as a child, identified him without hesitation. “That short, fat guy is Hajaj himself. He drove a white Land Cruiser and a red 1985 Super,” he said.
Further confirmation came from five survivors who had been imprisoned in Nugra Salman after the 1988 chemical attack on Halabja. Before seeing the photos, each described Tikriti’s face and demeanor. “He had a wide face and cruel eyes,” said Sidiq, one of the survivors. After viewing the photos separately, all five pointed to the same man. “That is him,” said Mohammed, another survivor. “We can never forget.”
More than 182,000 people were killed and over 4,500 villages were destroyed in eight phases of the Anfal campaign that culminated with the chemical weapon attack on Halabja.
Thursday was the 42nd anniversary of the Anfal phase that killed around 8,000 members of the Barzani tribe.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani commemorated the Barzani genocide on Friday, stating: “On this solemn occasion, we extend our deepest solidarity and condolences to our Barzani brothers, foremost among them Mr. Masoud Barzani, for the pure blood that was shed. This blood, together with the sacrifices of all Iraqis, helped pave the way for liberation from that dark era toward freedom and justice under our democratic system.”
Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court has recognized the Anfal campaign as constituting genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, but little has been done to compensate the survivors of victims’ families. The genocide has also yet to be recognized by the majority of the international community.
“This arrest is only a beginning,” said Omar Mohammed. “There are still many perpetrators whose names are unknown or whose crimes remain buried.”
The first lady’s office has called on victims’ families and former prisoners to come forward with evidence against Tikriti.
“We must tell the truth of what happened, so it is never repeated,” said Salman, a survivor who spent months in Nugra Salman prison. “We waited decades for this moment.”
Updated at 6:47 pm.
