Death penalty sought for 'Chemical Ali'

Prosecutors yesterday sought the death penalty for Saddam Hussein's cousin, widely known as Chemical Ali for his use of poison gas against the regime's opponents and once one of the most feared men in Iraq.

Ali Hassan al-Majeed is on trial with five other former senior Baath party officials for their roles in the 1988 Anfal (Spoils of War) campaign against ethnic Kurds that prosecutors say killed up to 180,000 people.

Kurds, who make up about 20 percent of the population, have long sought justice. Their mountainous northern region is still haunted by the devastating seven-month military operation in which mustard gas and nerve agents were used to clear villages.