Ra'ad al-Hamdani
| Ra'ad Majid Rashid al-Hamdani | |
|---|---|
Hamdani in 2009
|
|
| Native name | رعد مجيد الحمداني |
| Born | November 1950 Baghdad, Iraq |
| Allegiance |
 Ba'athist Iraq
|
| Service/branch | Iraqi Army |
| Years of service | 1966 - 2003 |
| Rank |
 Lieutenant General
|
| Unit | Republican Guard |
| Commands held | 2nd Republican Guard Corps |
| Battles/wars |
First Kurdish–Iraqi War |
First Kurdish–Iraqi War
Yom Kippur War
Second Kurdish–Iraqi War
Iran-Iraq War
Gulf War
Iraq War
Ra'ad Majid Rashid al-Hamdani (Arabic: رعد مجيد الحمداني) was a General of the Iraqi Republican Guard, and was one of Saddam Hussein's favourite officers.
Hamdani graduated from the Iraqi Military College in Baghdad in 1970 with a BA in military science.
He served in the 71st Brigade as a first lieutenant, which saw action on the Golan Heights as part of the 3rd Armoured Division. Following the war he attended Bakr University from 1978 to 1980 receiving an MA in military science from the Iraqi Staff College.
During the Iran-Iraq war Hamdani served as a staff officers in various armoured and reconnaissance units, and joining the Republican Guard in 1982, and serving as a senior training office between 1987 and 1989. He received both of Saddam Hussein's sons; Uday and Qusay, as well as Tariq-Aziz's son, to serve as officers in his battalion. This was done as a political stunt, so Saddam and Tariq-Aziz could claim their sons were fighting in the war. However, Hamdani was told not to let any of the sons die.
As commander of the II Republican Guard Corps, Hamdani was given responsibility for the Karbala region. Hamdani was further stripped of units after Qusay Hussein believed that the American invasion of the South was a feint. Hamdani protested this and argued that unless reinforcements were rushed to the Karbala gap immediately to prevent a breach, American troops would reach Baghdad within 48 hours. His suggestions fell on deaf ears. Hamdani was ordered to launch a counterattack in response to the continued American advance, resulting in a night raid on the 2–3 April which was repulsed with heavy casualties. The American counterattack the following morning totally routed the Republican Guard forces.
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Wikipedia