Most-wanted Iraqi playing cards
Encyclopedia
In the 2003 invasion of Iraq
by a United States
-led coalition, the U.S. military developed a set of playing card
s to help troops identify the most-wanted members
of President Saddam Hussein
's government, mostly high-ranking Baath Party
members or members of the Revolutionary Command Council. The cards were officially named the "personality identification playing cards".
As of March 2011, 10 of the original 55 are still at large and at least seven of the 55 are dead.
is Saddam Hussein
, the aces of clubs and hearts are his sons Qusay
and Uday
respectively, and the ace of diamonds is Saddam's presidential secretary Abid Hamid Mahmud
al-Tikriti. This strict correspondence to the order of the most-wanted list was not carried through the entire deck, but some time later in 2003, the list itself was renumbered to conform (almost) to the deck of cards.
According to Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jim Brooks, a spokesman for the Defense Intelligence Agency
, such playing cards have been used as far back as the Civil War and again in World War II
—Army Air Corps
decks printed with the silhouettes of German and Japanese fighter aircraft fetch hundreds of dollars today—and in the Korean War
. Troops often play cards to pass the time, and seeing the names, faces and titles of the wanted Iraqis during their games will help soldiers and Marines in case they run into the wanted individuals in the field, Brooks said.
Developed by five US Army soldiers, 2LT
Hans Mumm, SSG
Shawn Mahoney, Sgt.
Andrei Salter, Sgt. Scott Boehmler, and Spc.
Joseph Barrios, who were assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency, the deck of cards was first announced publicly in Iraq
on April 11, 2003, in a press conference by Army Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, deputy director of operations at U.S. Central Command. On that same evening Max Hodges, a Houston-based entrepreneur, found and downloaded a high-resolution artwork file for the deck from a Defense Department web server. Discovering the following day that the file had vanished from the military web server he became the first eBay
seller to offer the artwork file, in PDF
, which could be used to reproduce the deck. He quickly contracted Gemaco Playing Card Company to print 1,000 decks for about $4,000 and started selling both the decks, in advance of receiving them from the printer, on eBay, Amazon.com
and his own web site. When some of his early auctions for a $4 deck of cards quickly rose to over $120, it did not take long for other eBayers to jump on the bandwagon and print or order decks of their own to sell. In just a few days hundreds of sellers materialized and the price dropped to just a few dollars per deck.
Texas
-based Liberty Playing Card Co. received an order to manufacture the cards for the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait
and by claiming to be "the authorized government contractor" quickly became another popular domestic supplier for the commercial market. The U.S. military inadvertently included in the jokers the trademarked Hoyle joker owned by the United States Playing Card Company
of Cincinnati, Ohio
. Although The U.S. Playing Card company does not object to the government's use of the image, they do object to other companies using the trademark
ed image. Thus, in some sense, the U.S. military inadvertently granted The U.S. Playing Card Company exclusive rights to manufacture the authentic decks, if the trademarked images on the jokers are considered a requirement for being authentic.
The deck of cards spawned many imitations and parodies, such as decks featuring members of the Bush administration and the Republican Party, as well as prominent liberals and members of the Democratic Party. Other decks were created to commemorate the subsequent Presidential Election, including the colorfully balanced Presidential Poker deck which contains a suit for each political point-of-view (positive Republicans, negative Republicans, positive Democrats, negative Democrats) along with a unique poker variation that lampooned the issues contests in the 2004 race. There has been criticism of the Bush administration for being preoccupied with Iraq and losing focus of Osama bin Laden
and the most wanted al-Qaeda members; those of this view often cite as an example that the government has not made up a similar deck of cards for the top al-Qaeda members.
cards could be used for this purpose, but in this case the whole deck would be rearranged. Khamis Sirhan al-Muhammad was captured in January 2004 and held without charge for six years before being released on July 30, 2010. He has since fled to Syria where most of the other 10 uncaptured members of the deck of cards are reported to be hiding.
The 13 June 2003 edition of the BBC One
satirical news quiz, Have I Got News for You
, featured a set of the playing cards in one round, spoofing guest host Bruce Forsyth
's 1980s game show Play Your Cards Right
. The two teams played a version of the latter's main game, retitled Play Your Iraqi Cards Right (although during the segment it was revealed that the writers' first choice had been Play Your Kurds Right), with the same rules (and audience participation). Much of the humour of the round came from the reactions of the two team captains: while Paul Merton
was clearly familiar with the game and greatly enjoyed it, his opponent, Ian Hislop
, admitted he'd never seen Play Your Cards Right and appeared mystified by the game's rules and etiquette (when at one point Merton and the crowd shouted the traditional cry of "lower, lower," to predict the next card in the hidden sequence, Hislop commented, "I'm not sure this program could get much lower!")
Also similar is The "Least Wanted" Deck, which was distributed by libertarian/independent radio host Alex Jones
. This deck featured supposed prominent members of the New World Order
.
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
by a United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-led coalition, the U.S. military developed a set of playing card
Playing card
A playing card is a piece of specially prepared heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic, marked with distinguishing motifs and used as one of a set for playing card games...
s to help troops identify the most-wanted members
U.S. list of most-wanted Iraqis
In April 2003, the United States drew up a list of most-wanted Iraqis, consisting of the 55 members of the deposed Iraqi regime whom they most wanted to capture. The list was turned into a set of playing cards for distribution to United States troops...
of President Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's government, mostly high-ranking Baath Party
Baath Party
The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was a political party mixing Arab nationalist and Arab socialist interests, opposed to Western imperialism, and calling for the renaissance or resurrection and unification of the Arab world into a single state. Ba'ath is also spelled Ba'th or Baath and means...
members or members of the Revolutionary Command Council. The cards were officially named the "personality identification playing cards".
As of March 2011, 10 of the original 55 are still at large and at least seven of the 55 are dead.
About the cards
Each card contains the wanted person's name, a picture if available, and the job performed by that individual. The highest-ranking cards, starting with the aces and kings, were used for the people at the top of the most-wanted list. The ace of spadesAce of Spades
At least in English-speaking countries, the ace of spades is traditionally seen as the highest card in the deck of playing cards, although the actual value of the card varies from game to game...
is Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
, the aces of clubs and hearts are his sons Qusay
Qusay Hussein
Qusay Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti was the second son of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. He was appointed as his father's heir apparent in 2000.- Family :...
and Uday
Uday Hussein
Uday Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti , was the eldest son of Saddam Hussein from his first wife, Sajida Talfah. He was the brother of Qusay Hussein. Uday was for several years seen as the heir apparent of his father; however, Uday lost his place in the line of succession due to his erratic behavior and...
respectively, and the ace of diamonds is Saddam's presidential secretary Abid Hamid Mahmud
Abid Hamid Mahmud
Lieutenant General Abid Al-Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti was an Iraqi military officer under Saddam Hussein's deposed regime.Mahmud began his military career as an non-commissioned officer and rose through the ranks, becoming part of Hussein's personal bodyguard, and finally, his personal secretary.A...
al-Tikriti. This strict correspondence to the order of the most-wanted list was not carried through the entire deck, but some time later in 2003, the list itself was renumbered to conform (almost) to the deck of cards.
According to Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jim Brooks, a spokesman for the Defense Intelligence Agency
Defense Intelligence Agency
The Defense Intelligence Agency is a member of the Intelligence Community of the United States, and is the central producer and manager of military intelligence for the United States Department of Defense, employing over 16,500 U.S. military and civilian employees worldwide...
, such playing cards have been used as far back as the Civil War and again in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
—Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
decks printed with the silhouettes of German and Japanese fighter aircraft fetch hundreds of dollars today—and in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. Troops often play cards to pass the time, and seeing the names, faces and titles of the wanted Iraqis during their games will help soldiers and Marines in case they run into the wanted individuals in the field, Brooks said.
Developed by five US Army soldiers, 2LT
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
Hans Mumm, SSG
Staff Sergeant
Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in several countries.The origin of the name is that they were part of the staff of a British army regiment and paid at that level rather than as a member of a battalion or company.-Australia:...
Shawn Mahoney, Sgt.
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
Andrei Salter, Sgt. Scott Boehmler, and Spc.
Specialist (rank)
Specialist is one of the four junior enlisted ranks in the U.S. Army, just above Private First Class and equivalent in pay grade to Corporal. Unlike Corporals, Specialists are not considered junior non-commissioned officers...
Joseph Barrios, who were assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency, the deck of cards was first announced publicly in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
on April 11, 2003, in a press conference by Army Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, deputy director of operations at U.S. Central Command. On that same evening Max Hodges, a Houston-based entrepreneur, found and downloaded a high-resolution artwork file for the deck from a Defense Department web server. Discovering the following day that the file had vanished from the military web server he became the first eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
seller to offer the artwork file, in PDF
Portable Document Format
Portable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
, which could be used to reproduce the deck. He quickly contracted Gemaco Playing Card Company to print 1,000 decks for about $4,000 and started selling both the decks, in advance of receiving them from the printer, on eBay, Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
and his own web site. When some of his early auctions for a $4 deck of cards quickly rose to over $120, it did not take long for other eBayers to jump on the bandwagon and print or order decks of their own to sell. In just a few days hundreds of sellers materialized and the price dropped to just a few dollars per deck.
Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
-based Liberty Playing Card Co. received an order to manufacture the cards for the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
and by claiming to be "the authorized government contractor" quickly became another popular domestic supplier for the commercial market. The U.S. military inadvertently included in the jokers the trademarked Hoyle joker owned by the United States Playing Card Company
United States Playing Card Company
The United States Playing Card Company, started in 1867, produces and distributes many brands of playing cards, including Bicycle, Bee, Hoyle, Kem, and others, plus novelty and custom cards, and other playing card accessories such as poker chips. The company was once based in Cincinnati, Ohio, but...
of Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. Although The U.S. Playing Card company does not object to the government's use of the image, they do object to other companies using the trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
ed image. Thus, in some sense, the U.S. military inadvertently granted The U.S. Playing Card Company exclusive rights to manufacture the authentic decks, if the trademarked images on the jokers are considered a requirement for being authentic.
The deck of cards spawned many imitations and parodies, such as decks featuring members of the Bush administration and the Republican Party, as well as prominent liberals and members of the Democratic Party. Other decks were created to commemorate the subsequent Presidential Election, including the colorfully balanced Presidential Poker deck which contains a suit for each political point-of-view (positive Republicans, negative Republicans, positive Democrats, negative Democrats) along with a unique poker variation that lampooned the issues contests in the 2004 race. There has been criticism of the Bush administration for being preoccupied with Iraq and losing focus of Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
and the most wanted al-Qaeda members; those of this view often cite as an example that the government has not made up a similar deck of cards for the top al-Qaeda members.
Spades
- Ace ♠: Saddam HusseinSaddam HusseinSaddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
, president (#1 on most-wanted list) (Executed 2006). - King ♠: Ali Hasan Al-MajidAli Hassan al-MajidAli Hassan Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti , , was a Ba'athist Iraqi Defense Minister, Interior Minister, military commander and chief of the Iraqi Intelligence Service...
, presidential adviser/Revolutionary Command Council member better known as "Chemical Ali" (#5) (Executed 2010). - Queen ♠: Muhammad Hamza Zubaydi, retired RCC member (#9, but was originally #18) (Died in Custody 2005).
- Jack ♠: Ibrahim Ahmad Abd al-Sattar MuhammadIbrahim Ahmad Abd al-Sattar MuhammadIbrahim Ahmad Abd Al-Sattar Muhammad Al-Tikriti was the chief of staff of the Iraqi armed forces under the rule of Saddam Hussein from 1999 until 2003...
, Iraqi armed forces chief of staff (#13, was #11) (Died in Custody 2010). - Ten ♠: Hamid Raja ShalahHamid Raja ShalahHamid Raja, also known as Hamid Raja-Shalah Hassan al-Tikriti or Hamid Raja-Shalah Hassum al-Tikriti was a commander of the Iraqi Air Force under Saddam Hussein....
, Air Force commander (#17, was #15) (Captured 2005). - Nine ♠: Rukan Razuki Abd Al-Ghafar Sulayman Al-MajidRukan Razuki Abd al-GhafarRukan Razuki Abd al-Ghafar was the head of the tribal affairs office in Iraq under Saddam Hussein and a member of Saddam's inner circle. Since the fall of Baghdad during the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States and its allies, his whereabouts have been unknown. He is presently #21 on the U.S...
, head of tribal affairs office (#21, was #39) (Whereabouts Unknown). - Eight ♠: Tariq AzizTariq AzizTariq Aziz and Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq and a close advisor of former President Saddam Hussein. Their association began in the 1950s when both were activists for the then-banned Ba'ath Arab Socialist Party...
, deputy prime minister (#25, was #43) (Surrendered 2003, Sentenced to Death). - Seven ♠: Mahmud DhiyabMahmud DhiyabMahmud Dhiyab al-Ahmad is a former Iraqi diplomat, who held several cabinet-level positions.Dhiyab was Iraq's Minister of Agriculture during the Gulf War. In September of 1991, he became involved in a dispute with Hussein Kamel al-Majid, Iraq's Minister of Defense, over the reconstruction of...
, minister of interior (#29, was #46) (Surrendered 2003). - Six ♠: Amir Rashid Muhammad al-UbaydiAmer Mohammad RashidAmer Mohammad Rashid al-Ubaidi served as Oil Minister under Saddam Hussein. A former general in Iraq's army, he also advised Hussein on other matters, and was sometimes referred to as "Missile Man" in reference to his expertise with weapons delivery systems. He is the husband of Dr. Rihab Taha , a...
, presidential adviser/former oil minister (#33, was #47) (Surrendered 2003). - Five ♠: Watban Ibrahim Hasan, presidential adviser (#37, was #51) (Captured 2003, Sentenced to Death).
- Four ♠: Muhammad Zimam Abd al-Razzaq, Baath Party regional command chairman (#41, was #23) (Unknown).
- Three ♠: Sa'd Abdul-Majid Al-Faisal, Baath Party Regional command chairman (#55, was #36) (Unknown).
- Two ♠: Rashid Taan Kazim, Baath Party regional chairman (#49, was #30) (Unknown).
Clubs
- Ace ♣: Qusay Saddam HusaynQusay HusseinQusay Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti was the second son of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. He was appointed as his father's heir apparent in 2000.- Family :...
, son of Saddam(#2), killed in standoff with US Army in Mosul, Iraq 2003. - King ♣: Izzat Ibrahim, RCC vice chairman (#6).
- Queen ♣: Kamal Mustafa Abdallah Sultan, secretary of the Republican Guard (#10, was #8).
- Jack ♣: Sayf Al-Din Fulayyih Hasan Taha Al-Rawi, Republican Guard chief of staff (#14, was #12).
- Ten ♣: Latif Nusayyif Jasim, Baath Party military bureau deputy chairman (#18, was #37).
- Nine ♣: Jamal Mustafa Abdallah Sultan, deputy head of tribal affairs (#22, was #40).
- Eight ♣: Walid Hamid Tawfiq, governor of Basra (#26, was #44).
- Seven ♣: Ayad Futayyih Khalifa, Quds forces chief of staff (#30, was #20).
- Six ♣: Husam Muhammad AminHossam Mohammed AminHassan Mohammed Amin was an Iraqi general under Saddam Hussein's government. He said in 2002 that Iraq would submit a list of chemical, biological and nuclear programs to UNMOVIC, but that the report would not disclose any banned weapons, "because, really, we have no weapons of mass destruction."...
, head of National Monitoring Directorate (#34, was #49) (Released 2005). - Five ♣: Barzan Ibrahim Hasan, presidential adviser (#38, was #52) (Executed 2007).
- Four ♣: Samir Abd Al-AzizSamir Abd al-AzizSamir Abdul Aziz al-Najim is an Iraqi politician, who held several senior positions under President Saddam Hussein. He was the Minister for Oil from January to April 2003 and the President's chief of staff for several years after the 1991 Gulf War. He was the Iraqi Ambassador to Egypt, Turkey,...
, Baath Party regional command chairman (#42, was #24). - Three ♣: Sayf al-Din Al-Mashhadani, Baath Party regional command chairman (#46, was #27).
- Two ♣: Ugla Abid Saqr, Baath Party regional chairman (#50, was #31).
Hearts
- Ace ♥: Uday Saddam HusaynUday HusseinUday Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti , was the eldest son of Saddam Hussein from his first wife, Sajida Talfah. He was the brother of Qusay Hussein. Uday was for several years seen as the heir apparent of his father; however, Uday lost his place in the line of succession due to his erratic behavior and...
, son of Saddam Hussein, killed in standoff with US Army in Mosul, Iraq 2003 (#3). - King ♥: Hani Abd al-Latif Tilfah, Director—special security organization (#7).
- Queen ♥: Barzan Abd al-Ghafur Sulayman Majid, Special Republican Guard commander (#11, was #9).
- Jack ♥: Rafi Abd Al-Latif Tilfah, AKA Mark Sterling, director of general security (#15, was #13).
- Ten ♥: Abd Al-Tawab Mullah Huwaysh, deputy prime minister (#19, was #16).
- Nine ♥: Mizban Khadr Hadi, RCC member (#23, was #41).
- Eight ♥: Sultan Hashim Ahmad, minister of defense (#27, was #19).
- Seven ♥: Zuhayr Talib Abd Al-SattarZuhayr Talib Abd al-Sattar al-NaqibZuhayr Talib Abd al-Sattar al-Naqib was the last director of military intelligence in Iraq before the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He surrendered himself to occupation authorities on 23 April 2003. He was the "seven of hearts" on the most-wanted Iraqi playing cards developed by the United States-led...
, director of military intelligence (#31, was #21). - Six ♥: Muhammad Mahdi (#35, was #48).
- Five ♥: Huda Salih Mahdi AmmashHuda Salih Mahdi AmmashHuda Salih Mahdi Ammash is an American-educated Iraqi scientist, dubbed Mrs. Anthrax and Chemical Sally. Ammash was number 53 on the Pentagon's list of the 55 most wanted, the five of hearts in the deck of Most wanted Iraqi playing cards, and the only woman to be featured.U.S. officials allege...
, weapons of mass destruction scientist (known as "Mrs. Anthrax"; #39, was #53; also the only female on the entire list). - Four ♥: Humam Abd Al-Khaliq Abd, minister of higher education and scientific research (#43, was #54).
- Three ♥: Fadil Mahmud Gharib, Baath Party regional command chairman (#47, was #28).
- Two ♥: Ghazi Hammud, Baath Party regional command chairman (#51, was #32).
Diamonds
- Ace ♦: Abid Hamid MahmudAbid Hamid MahmudLieutenant General Abid Al-Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti was an Iraqi military officer under Saddam Hussein's deposed regime.Mahmud began his military career as an non-commissioned officer and rose through the ranks, becoming part of Hussein's personal bodyguard, and finally, his personal secretary.A...
, presidential secretary (#4). - King ♦: Aziz Salih, Baath Party regional command chairman (#8, was #17).
- Queen ♦: Muzahim Sa'b Hasan, air defense forces commander (#12, was #10).
- Jack ♦: Tahir Jalil Habbush, Iraqi intelligence service (#16, was #14).
- Ten ♦: Taha Yasin Ramadan, vice president/RCC member (#20, was #38).
- Nine ♦: Taha Muhyi Al-Din MarufTaha Muhie-eldin MaroufTaha Muhie-eldin Marouf was an Iraqi politician and served as Vice President of Iraq from 1975 until the U.S. invasion in 2003.-Political life:Marouf joined the Baath Party in 1968 and held several ministerial posts....
, vice president/RCC member (#24, was #42). - Eight ♦: Hikmat Mizban IbrahimHikmat Mizban Ibrahim al-AzzawiHikmat Mizban Ibrahim al-Azzawi was finance minister under the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq. Following the fall of Saddam, he was arrested on April 18, 2003.He is the eight of Diamonds in the most-wanted Iraqi playing cards.-References:...
, deputy prime minister and finance minister (#28, was #45). - Seven ♦: Amir Hamudi HasanAmir Hamudi Hasan al-SadiAmir Hamudi Hasan al-Saadi or Amer al-Saadi , "the organizational genius behind the Iraqi superweapons program," was Saddam Hussein's liaison with the UN inspectors in the runup to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Like the defector Hussein Kamel al-Majid, he insisted Iraq had destroyed its prohibited...
, presidential scientific adviser (#32, was #55). - Six ♦: Sabawi Ibrahim Hasan, presidential adviser (#36, was #50).
- Five ♦: Abd al-Baqi Abd al-Karim Abdallah, Baath Party regional command chairman (#40, was #22).
- Four ♦: Yahya Abdallah, Baath Party regional command chairman (#44, was #25).
- Three ♦: Muhsin Khadr, Baath Party regional command chairman (#48, was #29).
- Two ♦: Adil Abdallah Mahdi, Baath Party regional command chairman (#52, was #33).
Other
There are also two jokers: one lists Arab titles, the other Iraqi military ranks. There are no cards for most-wanted #45 (was #26), Nayif Shindakh Thamir, #53 (was #34) Husayn al-Awadi, or #54 (was #35) Khamis Sirhan al-Muhammad, although knightKnight (playing card)
A knight is a French Tarot playing card with a picture of a young man riding horse on it. The usual rank of a knight, within its suit, is as if it were a 12...
cards could be used for this purpose, but in this case the whole deck would be rearranged. Khamis Sirhan al-Muhammad was captured in January 2004 and held without charge for six years before being released on July 30, 2010. He has since fled to Syria where most of the other 10 uncaptured members of the deck of cards are reported to be hiding.
The 13 June 2003 edition of the BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
satirical news quiz, Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
, featured a set of the playing cards in one round, spoofing guest host Bruce Forsyth
Bruce Forsyth
Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson, CBE , commonly known as Bruce Forsyth, or Brucie, is an English TV personality...
's 1980s game show Play Your Cards Right
Play Your Cards Right
Play Your Cards Right is a British television game show based on the American show known as Card Sharks. The gameplay was basically the same as in the American version.-Broadcast History:...
. The two teams played a version of the latter's main game, retitled Play Your Iraqi Cards Right (although during the segment it was revealed that the writers' first choice had been Play Your Kurds Right), with the same rules (and audience participation). Much of the humour of the round came from the reactions of the two team captains: while Paul Merton
Paul Merton
Paul Merton is a British comedian, writer, actor and television presenter. Known for his improvisation skill, his humour is rooted in deadpan, surreal and sometimes dark comedy...
was clearly familiar with the game and greatly enjoyed it, his opponent, Ian Hislop
Ian Hislop
Ian David Hislop is a British journalist, satirist, comedian, writer, broadcaster and editor of the satirical magazine Private Eye...
, admitted he'd never seen Play Your Cards Right and appeared mystified by the game's rules and etiquette (when at one point Merton and the crowd shouted the traditional cry of "lower, lower," to predict the next card in the hidden sequence, Hislop commented, "I'm not sure this program could get much lower!")
Also similar is The "Least Wanted" Deck, which was distributed by libertarian/independent radio host Alex Jones
Alex Jones (radio)
Alexander Emerick "Alex" Jones is an American talk radio host, actor and filmmaker. His syndicated news/talk show The Alex Jones Show, based in Austin, Texas, airs via the Genesis Communication Network over 60 AM, FM, and shortwave radio stations across the United States and on the Internet...
. This deck featured supposed prominent members of the New World Order
New World Order (conspiracy)
In conspiracy theory, the term New World Order or NWO refers to the emergence of a totalitarian one-world government.The common theme in conspiracy theories about a New World Order is that a secretive power elite with a globalist agenda is conspiring to eventually rule the world through an...
.
See also
- U.S. list of most-wanted IraqisU.S. list of most-wanted IraqisIn April 2003, the United States drew up a list of most-wanted Iraqis, consisting of the 55 members of the deposed Iraqi regime whom they most wanted to capture. The list was turned into a set of playing cards for distribution to United States troops...
- Archaeology awareness playing cardsArchaeology awareness playing cardsThe archaeology awareness playing cards are a set of playing cards developed by the United States Department of Defense designed to educate members of the United States military that are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan about the importance of respecting ancient monuments, in order to try and...
- Manhunt (military)Manhunt (military)Manhunting is the deliberate identification, capturing, or killing of senior or otherwise important enemy combatants, classified as high-value targets, usually by special operations forces and intelligence organizations...
Sources
- Brigadier General Vincent Brooks introduces Iraqi cards at CentComm press conference in Doha, Qatar, April 11, 2003.
- "Troops Dealt an Old Tool" by Tom Zucco, St. Petersburg TimesSt. Petersburg TimesThe St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
, April 12, 2003. - Personality Identification Playing Cards
- "Card-Carrying Civilians", Time Magazine, May 12, 2003, page 25.
- Brigadier General Vincent Brooks introduced the first set of Iraqi freedom cards, April 11, 2003
- Card Makers Producing 'Most-Wanted' Decks: Company Warns Others About 'Joker' Image, April 23, 2003, ClickOnDetroit.com.
- Iraqi Most Wanted Scorecard