Sa`id, Nuri al- << sa EED, NUR ee al >> (1888-1958), an Iraqi army officer and politician, served as prime minister of Iraq on 14 separate occasions. He was known for his efforts to promote Arab unity.
Nuri al-Sa`id was born in Baghdad. In 1909, when Iraq was still part of the Ottoman Empire, he became an officer in the Ottoman army. In 1916, during World War I, he joined Emir Faisal’s guerrilla army in revolt against Ottoman rule and served as his chief of staff. He continued to serve Faisal after Faisal became king of Iraq.
In 1930, Sa`id became prime minister of Iraq for the first time. As prime minister, he negotiated an independence treaty that preserved much British influence. In 1955, he took Iraq into the Baghdad Pact, an alliance whose other members were the United Kingdom, Pakistan, Persia (now Iran), and Turkey. His pro-British policies eventually cost him his life. In 1958, Sa`id and King Faisal were overthrown when the nationalist army seized power. Sa`id was hacked to death by a mob on July 14, 1958, when he tried to flee Baghdad disguised as a woman.
