But there is hardly any sympathy among Iraqis for Saddam Hussein's cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, who earned the nickname "Chemical Ali" for the enthusiasm he exhibited in ordering mustard and sarin gas attacks that killed thousands of Kurdish civilians in 1988.
The area was governed by Saddam's cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, the infamous so-called "Chemical Ali, " who is believed to have orchestrated the gassing of the Kurds in Halbaja in 1988.