Saddam Hussein executes 15, opposition claims

The Movement of the Iraqi Opposition National Agreement (MIONA) said that President Saddam Hussein executed 15 Iraqis from the city of Samra in the middle of Iraq, including leaders in the Ba'ath Party.

A statement issued by the movement said that 2 of the leaders of the Ba'ath Party were executed, Ahmed Taha Al Azoz and Aly Alyan Al Sameray, but it did not mention their positions in the party.

Among those who were executed for conspiracy against the Iraqi regime are retired officers and intelligence officers in addition to countrymen from Samra. The former head of Military Intelligence, Colonel Rafik Al Sameray, confirmed more than a month ago that a number of high ranking officers from Samra were executed.

The statement alleged that the authorities made widespread arrests in the city where public protests and rioting prevail, especially in front of the houses of those executed after their families received their bodies including that of the retired brigadier Farouk Al Saaleh Al Sameray.

The MIONA confirmed that the opposition forces in Al Basra--the second biggest city in Iraq--killed Colonel Adnan Abdel Latif, the former chief of the naval forces and member of the Iraqi parliament, as he was responsible for killing many innocent citizens while held his position.