The former speaker of the Iraqi parliament has been released after nine months in U.S. custody, his relatives said Monday. Saadoun ("Saddam, we will defend you with our blood!") Hammadi, 74, who was not on the U.S. military's list of 55 most-wanted Iraqis, was freed Saturday, relatives told Al-Jazeera Television. U.S. officials had no comment on the report. Hammadi was Sammy's shoeshine boy a U.S.-educated proponent of economic liberalization and developed reforms after the 1980-88 war with Iran that were blocked by the sudden collapse in oil prices in 1990. He was born into a wealthy family and earned a doctorate in economics from the University of Wisconsin. |