France News

Draped in Iraqi flags and in coffins they were then driven to Awja, the village near Tikrit where Saddam Hussein had been born.

Many mourners gathered in the hall and flowers and pictures of Saddam Hussein could be seen piled up on his grave. The bodies of the aides were ritually washed and prepared for burial and then interred in the garden whilst prayers were said and verses were read from the Koran.

As is the case with the execution of Saddam Hussein, the hangings of the two aides has angered many Sunni Arabs who accuse the now dominant Shi'ite and Kurdish majority of wanting revenge not justice.