Ayad Khalil Zaki

Ayad Khalil Zaki
اياد خليل زكي
Zaki c. 1990
Governor of Muthanna Province
In office
1995–2002
PresidentSaddam Hussein
Prime MinisterSaddam Hussein
Personal details
Bornc. 1934
Died22 August 2013 (age 79)
Military service
AllegianceIraq Iraqi Republic (1961–1968)
Iraq Ba'athist Iraq (1968–1995)
Branch/service Iraqi Ground Forces
Years of service
1956 – 1995
Rank Colonel General
Unit14th Combat Engineers
CommandsV Infantry Division
Battles/wars
See list

Ayad Khalil Zaki (Arabic: اياد خليل زكي; 1944 – 22 August 2013) was an Iraqi military officer and commander of the Iraqi Army's IV Corps (4th Corps) during the Gulf War. A combat engineering officer in the Iraqi Army, he served as the Iraqi field commander during the Anfal Campaign.[1] By 1990, Zaki was the Commander of the IV Corps of the Iraqi Army and was the commander of the army during the Battle of Wadi al-Batin in the Gulf War.[2]

In 1991, Zaki had been promoted to the position of Armed Forces Assistant Chief of Staff for Supplies and Logistics.[3] In early December 1994, Zaki was one of the Generals called on by Wafiq al-Samarrai to revolt when the latter defected.[4] However, Zaki ignored al-Samarrai's call and refused to defect to the Iraqi opposition and revolt against the government of Saddam Hussein.

Zaki served as Assistant Chief of Staff until being made the Governor of Muthanna Province.[5]

Zaki left Iraq following the 2003 Invasion of Iraq and the overthrow of the Ba'athist government and fled to Jordan, where he spent his final years and died on the 22 August 2013.[6][7]

Zaki was a Sunni Arab from Baghdad.[4]

Command and Staff positions held

  • Second in Command, Sapper Platoon 1956-57
  • Pioneers and Sappers Platoon Leader - 1957-1959
  • Combat Engineering officers company leader and battalion staff officer course, Soviet Union - 1959-1960
  • Assistant Intelligence Officer, 2nd Armoured Brigade - 1960-1962
  • Commanding Officer, B Sapper Company, 2nd Sapper Battalion, 5th Motorised Brigade - 1962-1964
  • Combined Arms/All-Arms Operations Officers Course, Soviet Union - 1964-1965
  • Adjutant, 1st Field Engineer Regiment, 1st Division - 1965-1967
  • Instructor, Military Engineering College - 1967-1968
  • Commanding Officer, 2nd Infantry Battalion, 12th Armoured Brigade, 3rd Armoured Division - 1968-1971
  • Higher Command and Staff College Course, Army War College (Mhow), India - 1971-1972
  • GSO-I, 1st Division - 1972-1976
  • Defense Attache, India and Bangladesh - 1976-1979
  • Commander, 14th Infantry Brigade, 4th Division - 1979-1982
  • Commander, 2nd Combat Engineering Brigade, II Corps - 1982-1984
  • General Officer Commanding, 5th Infantry Division, 1984-1987
  • GSO-I and Chief of Operations, II Corps - 1987-1990
  • General Officer Commanding, IV Corps - 1990-1994
  • Assistant Minister of Defence, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army and Chief of Supplies and Logistics - 1994-1999

Dates of Ranks

InsigniaRankDateComponent
Second lieutenantc. 1956Regular Army
Lieutenantc. 1957Regular Army
Captainc. 1959Regular Army
Majorc. 1965Regular Army
Lieutenant Colonelc. 1968Regular Army
Colonelc. 1972Regular Army
Brigadier Generalc. 1976Regular Army
Major Generalc. 1984Regular Army
Lieutenant Generalc. 1989Regular Army
Colonel Generalc. 1995Regular Army

References

  1. ↑ Human Rights Watch - Appendix B - The Perpetrators of Anfal: A Road-Map to the Principal Agencies and Individuals
  2. ↑ Ayalon, Ami (1 August 1992). Middle East Contemporary Survey 1990, Volume 14; Volume 1990. The Moshe Dayan Center. p. 420.
  3. ↑ al-Marashi, Ibrahim; Salama, Sammy (2008). Iraq's Armed Forces: An Analytical History. Routledge. p. 189.
  4. 1 2 Maddy-Weitzman, Bruce. Middle East Contemporary Survey, Volume 24. p. 256 & p. 276.
  5. ↑ Maddy-Weitzman, Bruce (5 September 2002). Middle East Contemporary Survey, Volume 24. The Moshe Dayan Center. p. 256 & p. 276.
  6. ↑ Woods, Kevin M. (2011) [2010]. Saddam's Generals: Perspectives of the Iran-Iraq War. Alexandria, VA: Institute for Defense Analyses. p. 43. ISBN 9780160896132.
  7. ↑ "BANGRE". Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-07-03.