Ammar al-Saffar
Ammar al-Saffar (born 1956) was the Deputy Health Minister of Iraq.[1] On November 19, 2006, he became the highest-ranking Iraqi official to be kidnapped when he was seized by men in police uniforms.[2]
A member of the Dawa Party, Saffar lived in exile in Britain until he returned to his home country following the 2003 invasion of Iraq.[3]
Disappearance
In February 2007, another Deputy Health Minister, Hakim al-Zamili, and General Hamid al-Shammari, were both arrested on suspicion they had played a role in Saffar and others' kidnappings. However, the charges were dropped in March 2008. As of 2008, Saffar remains missing.[4] Saffar's son Ali said a tape was sent to his family showing a hooded figure, ostensibly Ammar, being shot, but no body has ever been recovered. Ammar al-Saffar was later declared legally dead in Britain, where his wife lives.[5]
References
- "Baghdad Minister Grabbed". 2006-11-20. Retrieved 2021-08-02.
- "Iraqi health minister kidnapped; 4 Americans still held hostage - USATODAY.com". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
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: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - "'Dad went back to Iraq to help'". 2008-04-17. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
- Years later, kidnapped Iraqi's family finds no closure Prashant Rao, AFP, 12 Dec 2013.