Taha Yassin Ramadan

Taha Yassin Ramadan al-Jazrawi (Arabic: طه ياسين رمضان الجزراوي; 20 February 1938 – 20 March 2007) was an Iraqi military officer and politician who served as the vice president of Iraq from March 1991 to the fall of Saddam Hussein in April 2003 and the commander of the Popular Army.

He is often referred to as "the difficult man" and "the man of major missions." Known for his serious demeanor and deep knowledge of Iraqi-Soviet relations, he has played a significant role in Iraq's leadership.

Ramadan was born sometime between 1936 and 1938 to a peasant family in Mosul. His family categorically denied Kurdish origin and his son explained that Western news agencies had made an error due to the fact that the late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had two vice presidents: one representing Kurds, Taha Muhi al-Din Ma’rouf and the other vice president representing Arabs. He grew up in Mosul until he obtained his high school diploma. Ramadan graduated from the Military College and initially retired from service in 1959.

He returned to the military following the events of February 8, 1963, but retired again in 1964 and spent two years under house arrest. Subsequently, he was elected as a member of the regional leadership of the Iraqi Ba'ath Party.

After the 17 July Revolution of 1968, he was reinstated in the army and became a member of the Revolutionary Command Council in November 1969. In early 1970, he presided over a special court that tried "enemies of the revolution." By March 1970, he was appointed Minister of Industry, a role he held until becoming Minister of Housing in 1976.

Ramadan also served as the commander of the Iraqi Popular Army, a militia aligned with the Ba'ath Party. In early 1974, he was re-elected to the Ba'ath Party's regional leadership and acted as Minister of Planning from November 1974 to May 1976. By 1977, he was elected to the National Command of the Ba'ath Party.

Ramadan provided insight into the People’s Army, a key component of Iraq’s defense strategy. He explained that while the People’s Army, with around 600,000 trained members, was a reserve force, it was not a regular military unit. Its primary role was to support the regular army and maintain the home front. Ramadan stated that the People's Army was a militia with a unique training regime and was integrated into the national defense under the leadership of the regular army. The personnel of the People’s Army participated in front-line duties based on military leadership's guidance.

Regarding the potential for peace, Ramadan reiterated Iraq's readiness for negotiations based on international norms, historical borders, and non-interference in internal affairs. However, he maintained that the Iranian conditions for ending the war were unacceptable, as they amounted to a breach of Iraq’s sovereignty.