1937 – 2006
Authoritarian president of Iraq from 1979 to 2003 who led the country through the Iran-Iraq War and Gulf War before being overthrown by the US-led invasion. He was captured, tried, and executed for crimes against humanity in 2006.
1936 – 2015
Christian politician who served as Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister under Saddam Hussein for over two decades. He was the international face of the Ba'ath regime and died in prison in 2015 after being convicted of crimes against humanity.
1976 – 2022
Islamic State leader who succeeded Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as caliph in 2019 after the latter's death. He was killed in a US military operation in Syria in 2022.
1942 – 2020
Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri was Saddam Hussein's deputy and the King of Clubs in the U.S. military's deck of most-wanted Iraqi officials.
1970 – Present
Politician who has served as Prime Minister of Iraq since October 2022, leading a government focused on economic reform and combating corruption. He previously held various ministerial and gubernatorial positions.
1954 – 2020
Civil engineer turned militia commander who led Iranian-backed paramilitary forces in Iraq and was deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces. He was killed alongside Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike in 2020.
1952 – Present
Electrical engineer and politician who served as Prime Minister of Iraq from 2014 to 2018, leading the country during the war against ISIS. He oversaw the military campaign that recaptured Iraqi territory from the Islamic State.
1941 – 2010
Military commander and cousin of Saddam Hussein who earned the nickname 'Chemical Ali' for ordering chemical weapon attacks against Kurdish civilians. He was executed in 2010 for genocide and crimes against humanity.
1974 – Present
Influential Shia cleric and politician who leads the Sadrist Movement, one of Iraq's largest political blocs. He commands significant popular support among Iraq's Shia majority and has been a major power broker in post-2003 Iraqi politics.
1914 – 1982
Ba'ath Party leader who served as President of Iraq from 1968 to 1979 before being pushed aside by his protégé Saddam Hussein. He helped bring the Ba'ath Party to power through the 1968 coup.
1983 – Present
Younis Mahmoud captained Iraq's national football team to victory in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, scoring the winning goal in the final.
1903 – 1979
Kurdish nationalist leader who spent decades fighting for Kurdish autonomy and is considered the father of modern Kurdish nationalism in Iraq. He founded the Kurdistan Democratic Party and led Kurdish resistance movements for over 50 years.
1979 – Present
Television journalist who gained international fame for throwing his shoes at US President George W. Bush during a 2008 Baghdad press conference. His act of protest made him a symbol of Arab anger over the Iraq War.
1950 – Present
Shia politician who served as Prime Minister of Iraq from 2006 to 2014 during the height of sectarian violence and the rise of ISIS. His divisive leadership and authoritarian tendencies contributed to political instability in Iraq.
1937 – 2002
Abu Nidal was a Palestinian militant who founded the Abu Nidal Organization in 1974, one of the most feared terrorist groups of the 1970s and 1980s.
1967 – Present
Former intelligence chief and human rights activist who served as Prime Minister of Iraq from 2020 to 2022. He previously worked as a journalist and researcher documenting human rights abuses under Saddam Hussein.
1916 – 2007
Military officer who served as President of Iraq from 1966 to 1968 after succeeding his brother Abdul Salam Arif. His presidency ended when the Ba'ath Party seized power in a bloodless coup.
1888 – 1958
Nuri as-Said served as Prime Minister of Iraq fourteen times between 1930 and 1958, dominating Iraqi politics until his death during the 1958 revolution.
775 – 868
Arabic writer (776–869)
965 – 1039
Persian physicist, mathematician and astronomer (c. 965 – c. 1040)
1945 – Present
Neurologist and politician who served as Iraq's first post-Saddam Prime Minister from 2004 to 2005, leading the interim government. He founded the Iraqi National Accord party and played a key role in opposition to Saddam Hussein while in exile.
450 – 523
Assyrian writer and theologian (died 523)
858 – 935
Islamic scholar and author (died 935)
873 – 935
Muslim theologian (874–936)
