Qusay Hussein

Qusay Saddam Hussein al-Nasiri al-Tikriti (Arabic: قصي صدام حسين; 17 May 1966 – 22 July 2003) was an Iraqi politician, military officer, and the second son of Saddam Hussein. He was appointed as his father's heir apparent in 2000. He was deputy head of the Iraqi Special Security Organization and was also in charge of the Republican Guard, a branch of the Iraqi military. Although he had a lower public profile compared to his brother Uday, he was said to have had a key role in crushing opposition during the 1991 Iraqi uprisings. As deputy head of the Special Security Organization, he was said to have authorized the use of torture against dissidents. Qusay served as the director of the Iraqi Special Security Organization from 1992 to 1997 and was in charge of the elite Republican Guard and Special Republican Guard, which were crucial to Saddam's regime. While his older brother Uday was known for being flamboyant and erratic, Qusay maintained a lower public profile and was considered quiet, calculating, and equally ruthless. He was allegedly involved in severe human rights abuses, including directing the brutal suppression of the Shia uprising in southern Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War, which included the destruction of the southern marshes, and authorizing the torture and execution of political prisoners. Due to Uday's behavior and injuries from a 1996 assassination attempt, Qusay was increasingly groomed to succeed his father. Qusay, his son Mustafa, and his brother Uday were killed in a 2003 U.S. raid in Mosul, during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.