Ayad Khalil Zaki (; 1944 – 22 August 2013) was an Iraqi military officer and commander of the Iraqi Army's IV Corps (4th Corps) during the Gulf War. A combat engineering officer in the Iraqi Army, he served as the Iraqi field commander during the Anfal Campaign.Human Rights Watch - Appendix B - The Perpetrators of Anfal: A Road-Map to the Principal Agencies and Individuals By 1990, Zaki was the Commander of the IV Corps of the Iraqi Army and was the commander of the army during the Battle of Wadi al-Batin in the Gulf War.
In 1991, Zaki had been promoted to the position of Armed Forces Assistant Chief of Staff for Supplies and Logistics. In early December 1994, Zaki was one of the Generals called on by Wafiq al-Samarrai to revolt when the latter defected. However, Zaki ignored al-Samarrai's call and refused to defect to the Iraqi opposition and revolt against the government of Saddam Hussein.
Zaki served as Assistant Chief of Staff until being made the Governor of Muthanna Province.
Zaki left Iraq following the 2003 Invasion of Iraq and the overthrow of the Ba'athist government and fled to Jordan, where he spent his final years and died on the 22 August 2013.
Zaki was a Sunni Arab from Baghdad.
Command and Staff positions held
Second in Command, Sapper Platoon 1956-57 Pioneers and Sappers Platoon Leader - 1957-1959 Combat Engineering officers company leader and battalion staff officer course, Soviet Union - 1959-1960 Assistant Intelligence Officer, 2nd Armoured Brigade - 1960-1962 Commanding Officer, B Sapper Company, 2nd Sapper Battalion, 5th Motorised Brigade - 1962-1964 Combined Arms/All-Arms Operations Officers Course, Soviet Union - 1964-1965 Adjutant, 1st Field Engineer Regiment, 1st Division - 1965-1967 Instructor, Military Engineering College - 1967-1968 Commanding Officer, 2nd Infantry Battalion, 12th Armoured Brigade, 3rd Armoured Division - 1968-1971 Higher Command and Staff College Course, Army War College (Mhow), India - 1971-1972 GSO-I, 1st Division - 1972-1976 Defense Attache, India and Bangladesh - 1976-1979 Commander, 14th Infantry Brigade, 4th Division - 1979-1982 Commander, 2nd Combat Engineering Brigade, II Corps - 1982-1984 General Officer Commanding, 5th Infantry Division, 1984-1987 GSO-I and Chief of Operations, II Corps - 1987-1990 General Officer Commanding, IV Corps - 1990-1994 Assistant Minister of Defence, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army and Chief of Supplies and Logistics - 1994-1999
Dates of Ranks + Insignia Rank Date Component Second lieutenant 1956 Regular Army Lieutenant 1957 Regular Army Captain 1959 Regular Army Major 1965 Regular Army Lieutenant Colonel 1968 Regular Army Colonel 1972 Regular Army Brigadier General 1976 Regular Army Major General 1984 Regular Army Lieutenant General 1989 Regular Army Colonel General 1995 Regular Army
References