{{Short description|23rd Iraqi Minister of Defense}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Adnan Khairallah | native_name = {{Nobold|{{lang|ar|عدنان خير الله طلفاح}}}} | image = Adnan Khairallah portrait.jpg | caption = Adnan {{circa|1989}} | office = [[Ministry of Defence (Iraq)|Minister of Defence]] | president = [[Saddam Hussein]] | deputy = | term_start = 15 October 1977 | term_end = 4 May 1989 | predecessor = [[Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr]] | successor = [[Abdul Jabbar Khalil Shanshal]] | office1 = Member of the [[Revolutionary Command Council (Iraq)|Revolutionary Command Council]] | term_start1 = September 1979 | term_end1 = 4 May 1989 | office2 = Member of the [[Regional Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region|Regional Command]] of the [[Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region|Iraqi Regional Branch]] | term_start2 = January 1974 | term_end2 = 4 May 1989 | birth_date = c. 1940<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.alhayat.com/article/1168583 | title = زوجة وطبان التكريتي شقيقة "زوجة الرئيس" تتحدث لـ"الحياة" عن شجون العائلة . إلهام خيرالله طلفاح : حسين كامل سحر ساجدة واستولى على قلب صدام وأسئلة عن مصرع شقيقي عدنان أثارها سلو...<!-- عنوان مولد بالبوت --> | first1 = Maysar | last1 = Al-Shammari | date = 2003-06-01 | trans-title = Watban's wife Al-Tikriti, sister of "the president's wife," talks to Al-Hayat about the family's grievances. Ilham Khairallah Talfah: Hussein Kamel Sahar Sajida and seized Saddam’s heart, and questions about the death of my brother Adnan were raised by Uday’s behavior with his family | newspaper = [[Al-Hayat]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190328215118/http://www.alhayat.com/article/1168583 | archive-date=28 March 2019}}</ref> | death_date = {{death date and age|1989|05|04|1940|01|23|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Tikrit]], [[Kingdom of Iraq]] | death_place = [[Mosul]], [[Ba'athist Iraq]] | alma_mater = [[University of Baghdad]] | relatives = {{ubl | [[Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr]] (father-in-law) | [[Sajida Talfah]] (sister) | [[Saddam Hussein]] (brother-in-law and cousin) }} | party = [[Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region|Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party]] | allegiance = {{flagdeco|Iraq|1959}}{{flag icon|Iraq|1963}} [[Iraqi Republic (1958-1968)|Iraqi Republic]] (1959–1968)<br />{{flagicon|Iraq|1963}} [[Baathist Iraq]] (1968–1989) | branch = {{army|Iraq}}<br>([[Iraqi Army Aviation Command|Army Aviation]]) | service_years = 1959–1989 | rank = [[File:IraqAirForceRankInsignia-2.png|25px]] [[Colonel General]] | commands = | battles = {{tree list}} * [[First Iraqi-Kurdish War]] * [[Second Iraqi-Kurdish War]] * [[Iran–Iraq War]] {{tree list/end}} | awards = | laterwork = | parents = [[Khairallah Talfah]]<br>Lilo Wahib | spouse = Haifa Ahmed | honorific_prefix = Colonel general | signature = توقيع عدنان خير الله.svg }} [[Colonel general|Colonel General]] '''Adnan Khayr Allah''' ({{langx|ar|عدنان خير الله طلفاح|ʿAdnān Khayr Allāḥ}}; 1940 – 4 May 1989) was an Iraqi military officer and Saddam Hussein's brother-in-law and cousin. He held several titles and was a member of the [[Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council]]. He also served as the [[Ministry of Defence (Iraq)|Defence Minister of Iraq]] from 1979 until his death a decade later, being appointed days after Saddam Hussein succeeded to the [[President of Iraq|Presidency]].<ref name="NYT">{{cite news |date=7 May 1989 |title=Gen. Adnan Khairallah, 50, Dies; Iraqi Defense Chief and Adviser |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/07/obituaries/gen-adnan-khairallah-50-dies-iraqi-defense-chief-and-adviser.html |work=The New York Times}}</ref>
He died in 1989 in a helicopter crash that was officially labeled an accident. The circumstances surrounding his death, including his disputes with Saddam and rumors of a potential coup, have led some to believe Adnan was assassinated under orders from Saddam.<ref name="NYT" />
==Early life and education== Adnan was born in [[Tikrit]] in 1940, the son of [[Khairallah Talfah]], an [[Arab nationalism|Arab nationalist]] officer in the [[Iraqi Army]] who was later involved in the [[1941 Iraqi coup d'état]] and the ensuing [[Anglo-Iraqi War]].<ref name="Dictionary p134">{{cite book |last=Ghareeb |first=Edmund A. |last2=Dougherty |first2=Beth |title=Historical Dictionary of Iraq |url=https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio0000ghar|url-access=registration |year=2004 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=0-8108-4330-7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio0000ghar/page/134 134]}}</ref> Adnan's father was also the maternal uncle of [[Saddam Hussein]], who would later marry Adnan's sister, [[Sajida Talfah|Sajida]].<ref name="Dictionary p135" /> Adnan attended the [[Baghdad]] Military College and the Staff College, and later graduated with a degree from the [[Baghdad University]] School of Law and Politics in 1975.<ref name="Dictionary p134" />
Since he was fourteen years old, he used to carry a camera with him and he owned an archive of photos of Saddam Hussein and the family and a large collection of photos of the areas in which he served, which tell the story of the development of Iraqi cities and districts
==Ba'ath Party== Adnan joined the [[Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region|Iraqi branch]] of the [[Ba'ath Party]] in 1956.<ref name="Dictionary p134"/> He was arrested in 1959 following an [[Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region#Qasim's Iraq: 1958–1963|unsuccessful attempt]] by the party to assassinate then-[[Prime Minister of Iraq|Prime Minister]] [[Abd al-Karim Qasim]].<ref name="Dictionary p134"/> Adnan would later go on to play a role in the [[Ramadan Revolution|1963]] and [[17 July Revolution|1968]] coups that brought the Ba'ath party to power.<ref name="Dictionary p135">{{cite book |last=Ghareeb |first=Edmund A. |last2=Dougherty |first2=Beth |title=Historical Dictionary of Iraq |url=https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio0000ghar|url-access=registration |year=2004 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=0-8108-4330-7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio0000ghar/page/135 135]}}</ref>
In 1977, Adnan was appointed as the new Minister of Defence, taking over from [[Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr]], then Iraqi President and Secretary of the Iraqi Regional Command of the Ba'ath Party.<ref name="Dictionary p135" /> He was also appointed Minister of State, and held membership ini both the Ba'ath Party Regional Command and the [[Revolutionary Command Council (Iraq)|Revolutionary Command Council]], the primary decision-making body in Iraq. In 1979, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister.<ref name="Dictionary p135" /> [[File:Adnan Khairallah with Saddam.jpg|left|thumb|194x194px|Adnan being awarded by Saddam Hussein]] Adnan served as Iraqi Minister of Defence throughout the [[Iran–Iraq War]], and was appointed Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, second only to Saddam Hussein.<ref name="Dictionary p135"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Majid: 'Saddam is no longer the lion I knew' |author=Georges Malbrunot |newspaper=Le Figaro |date=16 October 2007}}</ref> In this position, he played a crucial role in rebuilding and modernizing the Iraqi military.<ref name="Dictionary p135" />
==Rift with Saddam== In November 1988, [[Uday Hussein]], Adnan's nephew and Saddam Hussein's eldest child, was arrested under orders from Saddam following an incident in which Uday was accused of killing [[Kamel Hana Gegeo]], an officer serving as one of Saddam's presidential bodyguards.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Laizer |first=Sheri |date=2022-07-23 |title=The Truth About The Saddam Hussein Affair |url=https://theinsightinternational.com/truth-saddam-hussein-affair-2022-07-23 |access-date=2025-01-03 |website=The Insight International |language=en-US}}</ref> The scandal caused a rift in the family, with Uday's mother and Adnan's sister, Sajida, appealing to Adnan for help.<ref name=":0" /> Adnan then disappeared from public view, amid reports of unrest in the army, a potential coup, and the arrest of several military officers, prompting speculation about the involvement of Adnan in a coup attempt against Saddam.<ref name=":0" />
Adnan later resurfaced in early 1989 when video footage was released showing Adnan, Sajida, and Saddam on a fishing holiday near [[Basra]].<ref name=":0" /> Following his return to public view, he resumed his regular duties as Defence Minister.<ref name=":0" />
==Death and aftermath== [[File:Adnan Khairallah.jpg|thumb|Adnan Khairallah's statue in Baghdad, 2003.]] On 7 May 1989, Saddam Hussein announced that Adnan had died three days earlier in a helicopter crash. Adnan had been travelling by helicopter from Baghdad to [[Iraqi Kurdistan|Kurdistan region]] to inspect [[Al-Anfal Campaign|army positions]] when he had his flight diverted to meet several members of the Presidential family in the mountain resort of Sarsang, near [[Duhok|Dohuk]].<ref name="NYT"/> While en route, his helicopter and two escorting helicopters were caught in a sandstorm. The crew of the two escorting helicopters and one person travelling on Adnan's helicopter survived.<ref name="NYT"/>
Announcing Adnan's death, Saddam referred to him as "one of the distinguished war heroes and a sparkling star in Iraq's sky." Baghdad Radio announced that Adnan would be given a [[state funeral]] and buried in his hometown of [[Tikrit]].<ref name="NYT"/> A statue was also erected in Baghdad in his memory.<ref name="Dictionary p135"/>
Although labeled an accident, speculation surrounded his death due to the detonation of four explosive charges on the helicopter he was in. Saddam's son-in-law [[Hussein Kamel al-Majid]] admitted helping to orchestrate Adnan's death, according to author [[Con Coughlin]].<ref name="coughlin220">{{cite book |last1=Coughlin |first1=Con |title=Saddam: The Secret Life |date=2002 |publisher=MacMillan |location=London, U.K. |isbn=0-333-78200-3 |pages=237|quote=Hussein Kamel admitted that he placed the explosives on Adnan's helicopter with a timer set to make them explode once the aircraft was airborne.}}</ref>
Although a relative of Saddam's, Adnan remained a popular figure even after the [[Iraq War]] and a square named in his honour exists to this day in the [[Karkh|al-Karkh]] area of [[Baghdad]] where his statue continued to stand following the [[Battle of Baghdad (2003)|fall of Baghdad]] in 2003, unlike those of other Saddam-era figures which were all immediately removed after the invasion. Reevaluation of Adnan's actions led to the removal of his statue in 2009.{{citation needed|date=December 2011}}
==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=100em}} ==External links== {{Commons Category}}
{{Ba'ath Party}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khairallah, Adnan}} [[Category:Tulfah family]] [[Category:1989 deaths]] [[Category:University of Baghdad alumni]] [[Category:Members of the Regional Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region]] [[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Iraq]] [[Category:Ministers of defence of Iraq]] [[Category:Iraqi generals]] [[Category:Iraqi military personnel of the Iran–Iraq War]] [[Category:1940 births]] [[Category:Iraqi Military Academy alumni]] [[Category:Victims of helicopter accidents or incidents]] [[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1989]]