Iraq, 1996 — military coup conspiracy
Event Summary
This entry is coded 24 June 1996, corresponding to the June 1996 coup plot against President Saddam Hussein of Iraq, organized around the CIA-backed Iraqi National Accord, an exile paramilitary group led by Iyad Allawi and based in Jordan. The operation, part of a covert program authorized by the Clinton administration, aimed to penetrate Saddam's elite Republican Guard and topple him from within. But the Iraqi National Accord had been thoroughly infiltrated by Saddam's Mukhabarat intelligence service, which had even obtained a secure satellite phone used by the group to communicate with agents in Baghdad, so the plot was known to the regime well in advance.
In June 1996 Saddam's security forces moved against the conspirators, systematically exposing the US-backed officers and agents in the Republican Guard through late June and July. Iraqi dissident groups reported that dozens to as many as 120 officers were executed, including an Iran-Iraq war hero, with up to 2,000 suspects detained and interrogated. The 24 June 1996 coding sits at this discovery and roll-up of the plot.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Sources
Editorial Note
Cross-Reference
Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.
Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:
- Cline Center id
64506241996
How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.
Outcome and Target
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: Saddam uncovered and crushed the plot, executing dozens of officers, and remained in power until 2003.
Baseline coding: Plot discovered and disrupted before execution. Recorded leader fate: remained in office; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.
Baseline Dataset Citation
Baseline Source-Document Entries
Los Angeles Times
The Guardian
Washington Post
This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →