The chief prosecutor at the genocide trial of Saddam Hussein has produced documents he says prove the former Iraqi leader ordered poison gas attacks on the Kurds.
Prosecutor Munqith al-Faroon says documents introduced Wednesday in Baghdad show that Saddam and his six co-defendants were involved in planning chemical attacks in 1988.
One of the documents appears to show that Saddam ordered his military intelligence department to look into a possible strike on Iranians and Kurdish fighters using chemical weapons.
Saddam and his co-defendants are on trial for their alleged role in the 1988 Anfal campaign in which prosecutors say 180,000 Kurds were killed.
The defendants say the campaign was a legitimate operation against Kurdish militias who sided with Iran during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war.
The trial entered the documentary phase earlier this week after hearing 70 witnesses who described deadly gas attacks on Kurdish villagers.
Saddam has already been sentenced to death for his role in the murder of 148 Shi'ite villagers in Dujail. Saddam's lawyers have filed an appeal.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.