What is barzan i̇brahim el-tikriti?

Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti was an Iraqi politician and intelligence officer who served as the head of the Iraqi Intelligence Service (IIS) from 1979 to 1983. He was also the half-brother of Saddam Hussein and one of his closest advisors.

During his time as head of the IIS, Barzan was involved in many human rights abuses, including the execution of political dissidents, and was accused of being responsible for the use of chemical weapons against Iranian soldiers and civilian Kurds during the Iran-Iraq War.

After the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003, Barzan fled Iraq and was later captured by American forces. In 2007, he was sentenced to death by an Iraqi court for his role in the execution of 42 Iraqi merchants, but he was hanged three years later after he failed to win an appeal.

Barzan remains a controversial figure in Iraq and his legacy continues to be debated. Some people see him as a ruthless enforcer of Saddam's regime, while others view him as a political prisoner and victim of an unjust trial.