In this file image cleared by the US military, Saddam Hussein appears in a courtroom at Camp Victory, a former Saddam palace on the outskirts of Baghdad, July 1, 2004.(AP)
Saddam Hussein will go on trial within two months on charges of crimes against humanity, with prosecutors focusing on 12 "thoroughly documented" counts, including the gassing of thousands of Kurds in northern Iraq, a spokesman for Iraq's prime minister said Sunday.
Saddam's trial could prove to be highly divisive in an already turbulent Iraq that shows signs of deepening sectarian divisions. Reflecting these tensions, the Shiite-led Iraqi government acknowledged Sunday that its forces may have targeted innocent Sunni Muslims in a drive to crush the insurgency in southwestern Baghdad and its suburbs.
Starting the court proceedings against Saddam in two months would overlap with the writing of the constitution.
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