Iraq braces for bloodshed as Saddam verdict looms

BAGHDAD: Iraq has braced itself for a violent backlash from Saddam Hussein's diehard supporters if, as expected, the ousted leader is sentenced to death on Sunday for crimes against humanity.

National Security Advisor Muwaffaq al-Rubaie said a total curfew would be enforced on verdict day in Baghdad and in the flashpoint provinces of Diyala and Salaheddin, including the deposed dictator's hometown of Tikrit.

"We have to ensure the safety of Iraqi people from loyalists of Saddam, as Sunday is a historic day," said Bassam Ridha, an adviser to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, one of Saddam's oldest foes.

"We have ordered an indefinite curfew starting 6:00 am (0830 IST) on Sunday. It will be a total curfew... for pedestrians as well as vehicles," he added.

Officials said Baghdad international airport would be barred to all civilian flights and that all military leave was cancelled in expectation of an angry response to the verdict from Saddam hardline fans.

"The prime minister hopes the dictator gets what he deserves," Maliki's political adviser Hussein al-Senaid said, while insisting on the independence of a tribunal much criticised for its closeness to government.

"Of course as part of the Iraqi government, we hope that he gets the maximum penalty for the crimes committed by him on the people of Iraq. We are looking forward to this historic moment. Iraq deserves justice," Ridha said.

Saddam and seven former regime officials have been accused of ordering the village of Dujail destroyed and 148 of its inhabitants executed in revenge for a failed attempt on the Iraqi leader's life in 1982.