Saddam Appoints Son as Baath Party Deputy Military CommanderIraqi President Saddam Hussein on Saturday appointed his younger son Qusai to be deputy commander of the ruling Arab Baath Socialist Party's military bureau, the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.Qusai, along with Latif Nusayif Jassim, were named deputy commanders in charge of the military bureau of the Baath party, the INA said. This was the first time that Qusai was given an official post in the Baath party. Also for the first time, Qusai was elected a member of the Baath party command on Thursday's 12th election conference. The conference re-elected Saddam the secretary-general of the party. Qusai, 34, currently runs the Republican Guards, the country's best-trained and equipped troops and handles the elite Special Security Organization that protects his father. Qusai's elder brother Uday controls Iraq's media and is also a member of Iraq's National Assembly (parliament). Besides Qusai, Saddam also named other members of the newly- elected command to head other bureaux, organizations of the Baath party in the capital Baghdad and other provinces, the INA said. |
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