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Kassem, Abdul Karim 1914-63
Iraqi soldier and revolutionary

He was born in Baghdad. He joined the army and in 1958 he led the coup which resulted in the overthrow of the monarchy and the deaths of King Faisal II, his uncle Prince Abdul Ilah, and the pro-western Prime Minister General Nuri Es-Sa'id. Kassem attempted to suspendthe constitution and established a left-wing military regime with himself as Prime Minister and head of state, but soon found himself increasingly isolated in the Arab world. He survived one assassination attempt, but failed to crush a Kurdish rebellion (1961-63) and was killed in a coup led by Colonel Salem Aref, who reinstated constitutional government.