23. Hussein Participated in a Coup
In 1968, the Ba’athist leader Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr led a bloodless coup against Abdul Salam ‘Aarif’s brother and successor, Abdul Rahman ‘Aarif. Saddam’s role in the coup was insignificant, but with al-Bakr as the head of the new government, Saddam became his deputy. He then eliminated the non-Ba’athist leaders who had participated in the coup.
