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During the 2003 invasion of Iraq by a United States-led coalition, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency developed a set of playing cards to help troops identify the most-wanted members of President Saddam Hussein's government, mostly high-ranking members of the Iraqi Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party or members of the Revolutionary Command Council; among them were some of Hussein's family members. The cards were officially named the 'personality identification playing cards'. As of 2021, all but 4 of the 52 most wanted have been either killed or captured, eleven of whom have been released.

About the cards[edit]

Rashid Taan Kazim [ar] playing card

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Rafi Abd Latif Tilfah playing card

Each card contains the wanted person's address and, if available, 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 spades is Saddam Husayn, 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 sometime later in 2003, the list itself was renumbered to conform (almost) to the deck of cards. The card backs feature camouflage reminiscent of that seen on the Desert Camouflage Uniform.

According to US NavyLieutenant commander Jim Brooks, a spokesman for the Defense Intelligence Agency, such playing cards have been used as far back as the US 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.[1]

The list of 'Most Wanted' was the result of a multi-intelligence agency collaboration which included the Defense Intelligence Agency, Central Command, and representatives from all US Service Branch Intelligence entities. The 'Most Wanted' names were then assigned to their respective cards 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.[2] The pictures used on the cards came from a number of intelligence agencies, but most were derived from 'open sources'. The deck of cards was first announced publicly in Iraq on 11 April 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.[3] 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,[4] 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 trademarked 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.

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Playing cards may have been invented during the Tang dynasty around the 9th century AD as a result of the usage of woodblock printing technology. The earliest known text containing a possible reference to card games is a 9th-century text known as the Collection of Miscellanea at Duyang, written by Tang dynasty writer Su E. Chris Ramsay 1st Playing Cards V1 First Edition New Sealed Rare Cardistry Magic. $70.14 + $14.03 shipping. Chris Ramsay's 1ST V3 Playing Cards - New & Sealed!

List of cards[edit]

SuitCardPersonPosOrigFate
SpadesAce ♠Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti
President
1Captured 13 December 2003
Executed 30 December 2006
King ♠Ali Hasan al-Majid (also known as Chemical Ali)
Presidential Advisor/RCC Member
5Captured 21 August 2003
Executed 25 January 2010
Queen ♠Muhammad Hamza Zubaydi
Retired RCC member
918Captured 21 April 2003
Died in custody on 2 December 2005
Jack ♠Ibrahim Ahmad Abd al-Sattar Muhammad
Iraqi Armed Forces Chief of Staff
1311Captured 12 May 2003
Died in custody on 28 October 2010
10 ♠Hamid Raja Shalah
Air Force Commander
1715Captured 14 June 2003
Released August 2007[5]
9 ♠Rukan Razuki Abd al-Ghafar
Head of Tribal Affairs Office
2139Killed in 2003
8 ♠Tariq Aziz
deputy prime minister
2543Surrendered 24 April 2003 and sentenced to death
Died in June 2015
7 ♠Mahmud Dhiyab
minister of interior
2946Surrendered 2003
Released in July 2012[6]
6 ♠Amir Rashid Muhammad al-Ubaydi
presidential adviser/former oil minister
3347Surrendered 28 April 2003
Released in April 2012
5 ♠Watban Ibrahim Hasan
presidential adviser
3751Captured 13 April 2003 and sentenced to death
Died of natural causes in custody on 13 August 2015[7]
4 ♠Muhammad Zimam Abd al-Razzaq
Ba'ath Party branch command chairman
4123Captured 15 February 2004[8]
3 ♠Sa'd Abdul-Majid Al-Faisal
Ba'ath Party branch command chairman
5536Captured 24 May 2003
Released 18 December 2005[8]
2 ♠Rashid Taan Kazim
Ba'ath Party regional chairman
4930At large as of 2020
ClubsAce ♣Qusay Saddam Husayn
son of Saddam
2Killed in standoff with the U.S. Army in Mosul, Iraq 2003
King ♣Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri
RCC vice chairman
6Died on 25 October 2020
Queen ♣Kamal Mustafa Abdallah Sultan
secretary of the Republican Guard
108Surrendered 17 May 2003[8]
Jack ♣Sayf Al-Din Fulayyih Hasan Taha Al-Rawi
Republican Guard chief of staff
1412At large as of 2020
10 ♣Latif Nusayyif Jasim
Ba'ath Party military bureau deputy chairman
1837Captured 9 June 2003[8]
9 ♣Jamal Mustafa Abdallah Sultan
deputy head of tribal affairs
2240Surrendered 20 April 2003
Released on 30 June 2020
8 ♣Walid Hamid Tawfiq
governor of Basra
2644Surrendered 29 April 2003
Released on 25 June 2020
7 ♣Ayad Futayyih Khalifa al-Rawi
Quds forces chief of staff
3020Captured 4 June 2003
Died in custody on 18 May 2018
6 ♣Husam Muhammad Amin
head of National Monitoring Directorate
3449Captured 27 April 2003
Released 2005
5 ♣Barzan Ibrahim Hasan
presidential adviser
3852Captured 17 April 2003
Executed 2007
4 ♣Samir Abd Al-Aziz
Ba'ath Party branch command chairman
4224Captured 17 April 2003
3 ♣Sayf al-Din Al-Mashhadani
Ba'ath Party branch command chairman
4627Captured 24 May 2003[8]
Killed by ISIS 2014
2 ♣Ugla Abid Saqr
Ba'ath Party regional chairman
5031Captured 20 May 2003[8]
Released 2012
HeartsAce Uday Saddam Husayn
son of Saddam Hussein
3Killed in standoff with US Army in Mosul, Iraq 2003
King Hani Abd al-Latif Tilfah
Director—special security organization
7Captured 21 June 2004[9]
Queen Barzan Abd al-Ghafur Sulayman Majid
Special Republican Guard commander
119Captured 23 July 2003[8]
Released on 29 June 2020
Jack Rafi Abd Al-Latif Tilfah
director of general security
1513At large as of 2020
10 Abd Al-Tawab Mullah Huwaysh
deputy prime minister
1916Captured 2 May 2003
9 Mizban Khadr Hadi
RCC member
2341Surrendered 9 July 2003
Died in custody on 16 May 2020[8]
8 Sultan Hashim Ahmad
minister of defense
2719Captured 2003, Sentenced to Death
Died in custody on 19 July 2020[10]
7 Zuhayr Talib Abd Al-Sattar
director of military intelligence
3121Captured 23 April 2003
Died on 15 June 2020
6 Muhammad Mahdi Salih3548Captured 23 April 2003
Returned July 2010
5 Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash (also known as Mrs. Anthrax)
weapons of mass destruction scientist, the only female on the list
3953Captured 7 May 2003
Released 2005
4 Humam Abd Al-Khaliq Abd
minister of higher education and scientific research
4354Captured 19 April 2003
3 Fadil Mahmud Gharib
Ba'ath Party branch command chairman
4728Captured 15 May 2003[8]
Killed by ISIS in 2014
2 Ghazi Hammud
Ba'ath Party branch command chairman
5132Captured 7 May 2003[8]
Died in 2007
DiamondsAce Abid Hamid Mahmud
presidential secretary
4Executed on 7 June 2012[11]
King Aziz Salih
Ba'ath Party branch command chairman
817Sentenced to death in 2011
Queen Muzahim Sa'b Hassan al-Tikriti
air defense forces commander
1210Captured 23 April 2003
Released in April 2012
Jack Tahir Jalil Habbush
Iraqi intelligence service
1614At large as of 2020
10 Taha Yasin Ramadan
vice president/RCC member
2038Executed in 2007
9 Taha Muhyi Al-Din Maruf
vice president/RCC member
2442Captured 2 May 2003
Died in exile in 2009
8 Hikmat Mizban Ibrahim
deputy prime minister and finance minister
2845Captured 18 April 2003
Died in custody in 2012
7 Amir Hamudi Hasan
presidential scientific adviser
3255Surrendered 12 April 2003
6 Sabawi Ibrahim Hasan
presidential adviser
3650Died of cancer in 2013
5 Abd al-Baqi Abd al-Karim Abdallah
Ba'ath Party branch command chairman
4022Captured in 2015
4 Yahya Abdallah
Ba'ath Party branch command chairman
4425Killed in 2003[12]
3 Muhsin Khadr
Ba'ath Party branch command chairman
4829Captured 7 February 2004[8]
Died in custody in 2017
2 Adil Abdallah Mahdi
Ba'ath Party branch command chairman
5233Captured 15 May 2003[8]
Died of Kidney failure on 22 March 2004

Other[edit]

There are also two jokers: one lists Arab tribal titles, the other Iraqi military ranks. There are no cards for most-wanted No. 45 (was #26), Nayif Shindakh Thamir, No. 53 (was #34 – Killed in 2003[13] or probably still fugitive[8]) Husayn al-Awadi, or No. 54 (was #35) Khamis Sirhan al-Muhammad, captured on 11 January 2004.[8] Al-Muhammad was held for six years before being released on 30 July 2010. He has since fled to Syria where most of the other 6 uncaptured members of the deck of cards are reported to be hiding.[14]

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 British version of the American series Card Sharks). 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 programme could get much lower!')[citation needed]

See also[edit]

  • Mercenaries (video game) – used a similar playing card scheme for enemy leaders.
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Sources[edit]

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Playing
  1. ^Burgess, Lisa (17 April 2003). 'Buyers beware: The real Iraq 'most wanted' cards are still awaiting distribution'. Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  2. ^'The Faces Behind the Faces on the 'Most Wanted' Deck'. Armed Forces Press Service.
  3. ^Iraq Most Wanted Identification Playing Cards (PDF version) white rabbit online shop, archived on 27 November 2005 from the original
  4. ^Valdes-Dapena, Peter (13 April 2003). 'Hot item: 'Most wanted Iraqi' cards'. CNN. Retrieved 13 May 2010.
  5. ^Jane Sutton (17 August 2007). 'As last Iraqi POW released, Noriega only U.S. POW'. Reuters. Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  6. ^'Iraq Frees Saddam Hussein's Interior Minister'. Aina.org. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  7. ^Mamoun, Abdelhak. 'Watban Ibrahim al-Hassan, half brother of Saddam Hussein, has died - Iraqi News'. Iraq news, the latest Iraq news by Iraqi News. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  8. ^ abcdefghijklmn'أبرز وجوه النظام العراقي السابق: أين هم الآن؟' (in Arabic). BBC. 2 September 2010.
  9. ^'Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations: 2 Mar 2009: Hansard Written Answers'. TheyWorkForYou.
  10. ^'تلفزيون الناصرية: وفاة وزير الدفاع الاسبق سلطان هاشم في سجن الحوت'. 19 July 2020.
  11. ^'Iraq executes Saddam Hussein's aide Abid Hamid Mahmud'. BBC News. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  12. ^DAVID JOHNSTON and JAMES RISENPublished: 19 April 2003 (19 April 2003). 'A NATION AT WAR: THE HUNT; New Tape of Hussein Prolongs Debate on His Fate'. The New York Times. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  13. ^'A NATION AT WAR: THE IRAQI CAPITAL; HUSSEIN RALLIES IRAQI DEFENDERS TO HOLD CAPITAL - Page 2'. The New York Times. 25 March 2003. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  14. ^Mohammed, Riyadh, 'Hussein Backer Set Free in Iraq', Los Angeles Times, 5 August 2010, p. 10.

External links[edit]

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  • Media related to Most-wanted Iraqi playing cards at Wikimedia Commons
  • Brigadier General Vincent Brooks introduces Iraqi cards at CentComm press conference in Doha, Qatar, 11 April 2003.
  • 'Troops Dealt an Old Tool' by Tom Zucco, St. Petersburg Times, 12 April 2003.
  • 'Card-Carrying Civilians', Time, 12 May 2003, page 25.
  • Brigadier General Vincent Brooks introduced the first set of Iraqi freedom cards, 11 April 2003
  • Card Makers Producing 'Most-Wanted' Decks: Company Warns Others About 'Joker' Image, 23 April 2003, ClickOnDetroit.com.

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