Iraq under Saddam Hussein (1979-Present) Saddam Hussein was born on April 28, 1937 in the village of al-Auja, on the outskirts of Tikrit in northern Iraq. ... In July of 1979, Saddam being the second in command, announced that the present leader General Ahmad Hassan al-Bakr had stepped down because of poor health and that he had been chosen by the Baath party as Iraq's new President, commander in chief, and head of the government as well as the party. The new President had inaugurated his administration, and then called a meeting with nearly a thousand high-ranking Baathists and ...

• Word Count: 244
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School