A Long-Hunted Executioner Is Captured; For Kurdish Anfal Survivors, a Moment of Reckoning

By Peregraf

Ali Abubakr had long stopped believing the man he called the butcher of Nugra Salman would ever be caught. For years, he chased rumors across borders — Syria, Saudi Arabia, cancer, a stroke, maybe dead, maybe hiding. Then, on the evening of July 31, he heard the news: Ajaj had been arrested. His breath caught. After all these years, they had found him.

"I felt very good about finding Ajaj," he said, his voice measured but heavy with memory. "The arrest was the happiest thing of my life."

Ajaj Ahmad Hardan al-Tikriti — better known among survivors as Hajjaj Nugra Salman — was one of the notorious prison officers during the 1988 Anfal campaign. Accused of overseeing systematic torture, executions, and abuse in Nugra Salman prison in Iraq’s southern desert near the Saudi border, he disappeared after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime and had remained a fugitive for 22 years.

"I would love to see him and ask him: Why did you do all this cowardice? What did you get from it?" Abubakr told Peregraf. "Didn’t you know your time was coming?"

He was only 12 when the Ba’ath regime arrested his family. His father was beaten until he pretended to be dead. Abubakr was tortured. Women were tied to poles under the desert sun. "This man had no mercy," he said. "I’ve been searching for him ever since."

That search came to an end on the evening of July 31, when Iraq’s First Lady Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmad officially announced Ajaj’s arrest — the result of an eight-month effort by her office to locate one of the last known executioners of the Anfal genocide. The next day, on August 1, the Iraqi National Security Service confirmed the arrest and released photos of Ajaj in custody.

He had been hiding in Salahaddin province — living among relatives in Tikrit, Oja, and Beji, frequently changing locations and allegedly altering his appearance with cosmetic procedures to avoid recognition.

"Ajaj has done cosmetics to avoid being recognized," said Peri Nuri, a presidential advisor and the First Lady’s representative on mass graves. "He also denies the crimes he has committed."

But survivors recognized him immediately.

"The picture was him," said Abubakr, who lives in Chamchamal. "As soon as I saw it, I knew. That face never left my mind."

According to the National Security Service, Ajaj was arrested in Muthanna province, after a six-month intelligence operation involving meticulous data gathering, human source verification, and coordination with the Southern Salahaddin Security Directorate. In its August 1 statement, the agency described Ajaj as one of the most wanted former Ba’ath officials — a man who had held several security posts before becoming the officer in charge of Nugra Salman prison, where he participated in executions and mass burials during Anfal.

The arrest was prompted by formal complaints filed in court on July 28 and 29 by a small group of survivors: Fazila Mohammed (of Kalar), Rizgar Shamzin, and Ali Abubakr. They worked closely with the First Lady’s office, which had been investigating Ajaj’s whereabouts for months.

"His family spread false stories," Abubakr said. "They said he had died of cancer, others said it was a stroke. Some claimed he had gone to Syria or Saudi Arabia. But we never stopped."

Ali Darwish, a relative of several Anfal victims, confirmed that once Ajaj’s identity and residence were verified, a team of five families collaborated with the presidency. "Less than 48 hours after we filed the complaints, the security forces arrested him," Darwish said.

For survivors and legal experts, the arrest is more than the fall of a single man — it is a long-overdue crack in the wall of impunity surrounding the Anfal genocide.

"This is a critical moment," said Dr. Hunar Amin, a scholar of international criminal law and expert on genocide. "One of the most brutal anti-Kurdish enforcers is now in custody. More important than the arrest itself is what we do with it."

Dr. Amin believes the case should serve as a foundation to document the Anfal campaign at both national and international levels. "This detainee is an opportunity to revive the pursuit of justice for the victims. It can help uncover information about other perpetrators, prison conditions, and mass graves. It’s a way to restore dignity to the Kurdish families."

Between February and September of 1988, the Ba’ath regime displaced and murdered an estimated 182,000 Kurds, destroyed thousands of villages, and carried out mass executions across eight provinces. Nugra Salman, a remote desert prison in southern Iraq, became a site of horrific suffering.

Relatives of Anfal victims at the mass graves of women and children in the desert of Tel Sheikh. Photo: Jawhar Kani Hanjiri

Ajaj’s name became synonymous with that prison. Survivors say he personally oversaw beatings, starvation, psychological torture, and rape.

"Ajaj tortured me and my father," Abubakr recalled. "I thought my father was dead. But he whispered to me, ‘I made myself dead. Go.’ That moment stayed with me my whole life."

Now, with Ajaj behind bars and his identity confirmed, many survivors are calling for a broader investigation and new legal action against other known figures from the regime. The First Lady’s office has urged victims, families of the disappeared, and survivors to submit information that could support prosecution efforts.

"This arrest should not be the end — it should be the beginning," said Dr. Amin. "Kurdistan has waited decades for justice. This is the moment to act."

The Iraqi National Security Service, in its statement, vowed to continue pursuing other fugitives involved in crimes against humanity. "The hand of justice will continue to pursue all those whose hands are stained with the blood of innocents," it said. "Time will not be a refuge for those who flee from just retribution."

For Abubakr, the moment is heavy with vindication — but also grief.

"My two brothers, four cousins, and an uncle were all killed. We can’t bring them back," he said. "But maybe, just maybe, we can finally hold someone accountable."

He knows what he wants to say if he ever sees Ajaj in person: "You thought we’d forget you. We didn’t."