Editing Qusay Hussein (section)

==Biography==
{{More citations needed|section|date=December 2024}}
Qusay was born in [[Baghdad]] in 1966 to [[Ba'athism|Ba'athist]] revolutionary [[Saddam Hussein]], who was in prison at the time, and his wife and cousin, [[Sajida Talfah]]. Some sources have said he was born in 1965, while others have said it was either 1967 or 1968.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1436887/The-bloodstained-past-of-Saddams-sons.html|title=The bloodstained past of Saddam's sons|first=David|last=Blair|date=22 July 2003|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/07/international/worldspecial/us-officials-believe-husseins-son-qusay-is-still.html|title=U.S. Officials Believe Hussein's Son Qusay Is Still Alive|first=Bernard|last=Weinraub|date=7 April 2003|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> He was widely described to be a family man and an attorney in training.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=125716&page=1 | title=Saddam Groomed Sons to be Ruthless, Cruel | website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] }}</ref>

He married loma Maher Abd al-Rashid; the daughter of [[Maher Abdul Rashid|Maher Abd al-Rashid]], a top-ranking military official, and had four children: a daughter named Moj (born 1987) and sons Mustafa (1989–2003), Adnan (born 1991), Saddam (born 1997).
Qusay reportedly played a role in crushing the [[Shia–Sunni relations|Shia]] uprising in the aftermath of the 1991 [[Gulf War]] and is also thought to have masterminded the [[Draining of the Mesopotamian Marshes|destruction]] of the southern [[Mesopotamian Marshes|marshes]] of Iraq. The wholesale destruction of these marshes ended a centuries-old way of life that prevailed among the Shia [[Marsh Arabs]] who made the wetlands their home, and ruined the habitat for dozens of species of [[Bird migration|migratory birds]]. The Iraqi government stated that the action was intended to produce usable farmland, though a number of outsiders believe the destruction was aimed at the Marsh Arabs as retribution for their participation in the 1991 uprising.

Qusay was said to have been in charge of concealing [[Iraqi chemical weapons program|chemical weapons]] from international inspectors. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/jul/23/iraq.suzannegoldenberg1 | title=Qusay: Strategist at heart of the regime | work=The Guardian | date=23 July 2003 | last1=Goldenberg | first1=Suzanne }}</ref>

Uday was viewed as their father's heir apparent until he sustained serious injuries in a 1996 assassination attempt. Unlike Uday, who was known for extravagance and erratic, violent behavior, Qusay kept a low profile.

Iraqi dissidents claimed that Qusay was responsible for the killing of many political activists. ''[[The Sunday Times]]'' reported that Qusay Hussein ordered the killing of Khalis Mohsen al-Tikriti, an engineer at the military industrialization organization, because he believed Mohsen was planning to leave Iraq. In 1998, Iraqi opposition groups accused Qusay of ordering the execution of thousands of political prisoners, after hundreds of inmates were similarly executed to make room for new prisoners in crowded jails.<ref>https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/Saddam-S-Sons-Known-for-Being-Ruthless-7200973.php</ref>

Hussein's service in the [[Republican Guard (Iraq)|Iraqi Republican Guard]] began around 2000. He had the final say in many military decisions unless Saddam intervened.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jwrdUSIxILsC&dq=iraq+minister+of+defense+qusay&pg=PA38 | title=War in Iraq: Planning and Execution | isbn=9781134104208 | last1=Mahnken | first1=Thomas G. | last2=Keaney | first2=Thomas A. | date=11 June 2007 | publisher=Routledge }}</ref> It is believed that he became the supervisor of the Guard and the head of internal security forces (possibly the [[Iraqi Special Security Organization|Special Security Organization]]), and had authority over other Iraqi military units.

Despite his cunning, Iraq's Defense minister [[Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Tai|Sultan Hashim Ahmed al-Tai]] claimed that Qusay “knew nothing [about commanding military]. He understood only simple military things like a civilian. We prepared information and advice for him, and he'd accept it or not.”<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-20060325-2006-03-25-0603250023-story.html | title=Analyzing the Enemy | date=25 March 2006 }}</ref>

Hours before the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]], Qusay withdrew approximately $1 billion from the [[Central Bank of Iraq|Iraqi central bank]] in Baghdad, acting on personal orders from Saddam. He arrived at the bank in Baghdad at 4am on 18 March, hours before the first US strikes, seized around $900 million in $100 bills and the equivalent of $100 million in [[Euro|euros]], loaded them into three tractor-trailers, and left.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Younge |first=Gary |date=7 May 2003 |title=Saddam's son took $1bn from bank on eve of war |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/may/07/iraq.garyyounge |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> This was considered the largest [[Bank robbery|bank heist]] in history until 2011.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/report-6b-missing-in-iraq-may-have-been-stolen/ | title=Report: $6B missing in Iraq may have been stolen - CBS News | website=[[CBS News]] | date=14 June 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/07/10bn-dollar-question-marcos-millions-nick-davies | title=The $10bn question: What happened to the Marcos millions? | work=The Guardian | date=7 May 2016 | last1=Davies | first1=Nick }}</ref>

===Assassination attempt===
On 1 August 2002, Qusay was shot by members of the [[Iraqi National Congress]] during a motorcade journey. He received injuries to his arm. He was said to have survived a previous assassination attempt in 2001.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2002/08/15/iraqi-opposition-group-says-it-tried-to-kill-husseins-son/22517d61-9470-4431-bc9d-8b80ff53364b/|title=Iraqi Opposition Group Says It Tried to Kill Hussein's Son|access-date=28 March 2023|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=15 August 2002}}</ref>