[Today's headline article: Hashim Ahmed: The intersection of power and betrayal]
Title: Defense Minister Ahmed: Once sought after like a prince, but finally suffered the fate of betrayal!
Word count: 29 characters
Body:
As the last defense minister of Iraq's former Saddam Hussein regime, Hashim Ahmed had a turbulent military career throughout his life. After the Gulf War, Ahmed was highly recognized by Saddam Hussein and even married his daughter. However, fate is changeable, and he ends up in a whirlpool of power struggles and betrayals.
In 2003, before the outbreak of the Iraq War, the Americans managed to rebel against Hope Ahmed and try to wreak havoc internally. However, since the outbreak of the war, the US military has never bombed the Ministry of Defense building, which made Saddam Hussein suspicious of Ahmed. In addition, the two men have deepened differences over Baghdad's urban defense policy. Ahmed wants to bolster the city's defenses while demanding to take over Iraq's most elite "Republican Guard," controlled by his son-in-law, Qusai. However, Saddam Hussein refused his request and placed him under house arrest.
Eventually, Anglo-American forces invaded Baghdad and Saddam was forced to flee. In order to weaken the Iraqi resistance, the US military adopted tough measures and increased its "wooing" of Ahmed. The commander of the US 101st Airborne Division, General Petras, personally wrote a letter to Ahmed, assuring him of his safety and dignity and promising not to suffer any harm and torture. After much negotiation, Ahmed surrendered to U.S. forces on September 19, 2003.
However, things did not go as smoothly as advertised by the US military. The U.S. military began using Ahmed's surrender as propaganda, demanding that Iraqis who were still resisting lay down their arms. However, after three years in captivity, Ahmed was sentenced by Maliki's government for repression of Kurds. When Ahmed learned of the verdict, he exclaimed that he had been wronged.
After much effort and weighing, Iraqi President Talabani pardoned Ahmed and commuted his sentence to 15 years in prison, in the name of opposing the death penalty.
Hashim Ahmed's life was intertwined with power and betrayal. He played an important role in the Iraqi regime, was sought after as a prince, but eventually suffered a cruel fate. His story tells us that power is so fragile and betrayal is so common. For ordinary people, we must always be vigilant and know how to cherish everything around us.
