Iraq hangs "Chemical Ali" for gas attack, crackdowns

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq executed on Monday Ali Hassan al-Majeed, Saddam Hussein''s cousin known as "Chemical Ali," for crimes against humanity including the gassing of thousands of Kurds and violent crackdowns on Shi''ite revolts.

"The death sentence against Ali Hassan al-Majeed has been carried out today," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said.

Majeed, who earned his nickname because of his use of poison gas, was executed by hanging, a government statement said.

He had received death sentences in four cases, the last around a week ago for a poison gas attack on the Iraqi Kurdish town of Halabja in which thousands died.

Dabbagh said in the statement that Majeed was not subjected to any abuse during the execution, unlike the insults heaped on Sunni dictator Saddam himself by Shi''ite Muslim observers when he was hanged in December 2006.

"Everyone abided by the government''s instructions and the convicted was not subjected to any breach, chanting, abuse words, or insults," he said.

It was not clear if Majeed was hanged before or after a series of suicide bombings close to hotels in Baghdad, some of them used by foreigners.

The attacks were the fourth coordinated assault by suspected Sunni Islamist insurgents on targets in the capital since last August, aimed at undermining the Shi''ite Muslim-led government in the run-up to a March 7 parliamentary election.

Iraqi Kurds and the leaders of their semi-autonomous northern enclave reacted with joy to Majeed''s execution.

Mohammed al-Qaradaghi, cabinet secretary of the Kurdistan Regional Government, said it was "an occasion of happiness, especially for those who lost their children and loved ones."

But some questioned the timing before the election.