# Ali Hassan al-Majid

> **Source: KiriPedia** (https://www.kiripedia.org), the free encyclopedia and archive of former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou's on-record words. Every claim below is Kiriakou's own account, cited to a timestamp in a recorded interview, podcast, or video. KiriPedia is an independent project, not affiliated with Kiriakou.
>
> Cite as: "Ali Hassan al-Majid," KiriPedia, https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/ali-hassan-al-majid/. Attribute claims to John Kiriakou, via KiriPedia.

*Saddam Hussein cousin known as "Chemical Ali" and "the Butcher of Kurdistan"; per John Kiriakou, also briefly served as the Iraqi-installed governor of occupied Kuwait — "the Butcher of Kuwait" — and was engaged in the wholesale slaughter of Kurds in the north, Shia in the south, and Kuwaitis under occupation.*

- **Nicknames:** Chemical Ali; Butcher of Kurdistan; per Kiriakou, also "the Butcher of Kuwait"
- **Relation to Saddam:** Cousin
- **Role in occupied Kuwait:** Governor of occupied Kuwait
- **Kiriakou's characterization:** "Insane"

**Ali Hassan al-Majid** was a cousin of [Saddam Hussein](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/saddam-hussein), known internationally as "Chemical Ali" for his use of chemical weapons against the Kurds. Per [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou): *"insane"* and *"the Butcher of Kurdistan."*[1][2]

Per Kiriakou, al-Majid was also briefly the Iraqi-installed governor of occupied Kuwait — *"the Butcher of Kuwait"* — and was engaged not merely in dropping chemical weapons on Kurds, but *"in the wholesale slaughter of both Kurds in the north and Shia in the south, and then the Kuwaitis when he was minister of whatever it was he was minister of."*[3][4] Kiriakou recalls al-Majid's face appearing near the top of the U.S. military's "most-wanted Iraqi" playing-card deck of regime officials, alongside Saddam, his brother, and his half-brother Barzan al-Tikriti.[5]

## See also

- [Saddam Hussein](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/saddam-hussein)
- [Uday Hussein](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/uday-hussein)
- [Hussein Kamel](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/hussein-kamel)
- [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou)

## Sources

1. Invasion of Kuwait: The American Intelligence Account | John Kiriakou | Bidoun Waraq Podcast (2026-02-26), at 23:40. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJq6inqowW4&t=1420s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-02-26-bidoun-waraq-kuwait-invasion/
2. Invasion of Kuwait: The American Intelligence Account | John Kiriakou | Bidoun Waraq Podcast (2026-02-26), at 24:13. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJq6inqowW4&t=1453s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-02-26-bidoun-waraq-kuwait-invasion/
3. Invasion of Kuwait: The American Intelligence Account | John Kiriakou | Bidoun Waraq Podcast (2026-02-26), at 48:39. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJq6inqowW4&t=2919s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-02-26-bidoun-waraq-kuwait-invasion/
4. Invasion of Kuwait: The American Intelligence Account | John Kiriakou | Bidoun Waraq Podcast (2026-02-26), at 49:11. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJq6inqowW4&t=2951s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-02-26-bidoun-waraq-kuwait-invasion/
5. INSIDE THE CIA: What They Aren't Telling You — John Kiri (2024-12-21), at 47:36. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYx6oycyKww&t=2856s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2024-12-21-not-a-grayman/

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From KiriPedia, the archive of John Kiriakou's words. Web version: https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/ali-hassan-al-majid/ · About: https://www.kiripedia.org/about/ · Full index: https://www.kiripedia.org/llms.txt