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Glite Dictionary
Saddam's Martyrs

Saddam's Martyrs

9.9
A feared armed group of young soldiers loyal to Saddam Hussein who stop his opponents
  • proper noun
  • NSFW
translation icon : Mártires de Saddam
  • The regime deployed Saddam's Martyrs to crush the uprising in the south.

Examples

  • In 1995, Saddam's Martyrs were formed to protect the regime.

  • The group known as Saddam's Martyrs was notorious for its brutality.

  • Fear of Saddam's Martyrs kept many critics silent during the 1990s.

  • Many former members of Saddam's Martyrs went into hiding after the invasion.

  • The Saddam's Martyrs instilled fear in the hearts of those who dared to oppose the regime.

  • During Saddam Hussein's rule, the Saddam's Martyrs were feared for their ruthless tactics against dissenters.

  • Many people in Iraq lived in terror of Saddam's Martyrs, who were tasked with suppressing any opposition.

Synonyms

Fedayeen Saddam
vsSaddam's Martyrs
  • NSFW
1 9.9

An armed group in Iraq that supports Saddam Hussein and attacks his political opponents

is the same feared 1995 force but called by a different English name

Surface Forms

Saddam's Martyrs main

Morphology

Saddam's + martyr

A B1 learner who knows 'Saddam' (a proper name) and 'martyr' would likely infer this refers to a group associated with Saddam or people regarded as martyrs for him, so the constituents give a partial clue. However, the specific sense—an organized, feared paramilitary force established in 1995 to suppress opponents—is not directly derivable from the words alone and requires background knowledge, so the expression is only partially predictable.

Etymology

Saddam's Martyrs comes from Saddam Hussein calling his fighters martyrs, a word meaning 'people who die for a cause'. Calling them martyrs made the group seem holy and brave, which frightened opponents and showed who was loyal, so today the name refers to a feared armed group.