Iraq: February 11, 2000

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Uday Hussein (the eldest son of President Saddam Hussein of Iraq) has not been a factor in Iraqi politics since he was badly injured in a Dec 96 assassination attempt. His younger brother, Qusay, has been considered the most likely successor. Qusay heads the Special Security Service, a sort of political secret police that watches the Army and other organizations for signs of disloyalty. Uday, however, may be on the way back in. More than 50 officers who were linked to Uday and his uncle, the late Defense Minister Adnan Khayrallah, have been restored to positions from which they were removed after Khayrallah died in 1989. --Stephen V Cole