SALADIN, Iraq

A tribal chief has claimed that a pro-Iraqi government Shia militia group destroyed the tomb of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, not Daesh.

According to Hasan al-Neda, chief of Hussein’s tribe of Albu Nasser, also known as al-Beijat, the tomb was in fact destroyed last year in August by al-Hashid al-Sha’bi, which is currently engaged in military operations with Iraqi armed forces against Daesh.

“Daesh did not destroy Saddam’s tomb, but al-Hashid al-Sha’bi did in August last year,” al-Neda told The Anadolu Agency in a phone call Monday. Moreover, he added, that the Shia militia allegedly destroyed 28 homes belonging to the Albu Nasser tribe along with the destruction of the tomb last year. The rampage included robbery of 600 households and burning of al-Awja village, some 12.87 kilometers (8 miles) north of Tikrit.

The tribal chief made the claim after Iraqi and international news agencies reported that the tomb was destroyed in clashes between Daesh and the Iraqi forces in the ongoing battle over Tikrit. In the latest videos, the entire structure of the mausoleum appear to have collapsed in a massive bomb attack, with not a single wall left standing.

In August 2014, The Anadolu Agency published a video that showed a militia linked to the central government in Baghdad celebrating the burnt down tomb of Hussein in Tikrit city. However, the structure of the mausoleum had appeared to be intact in the video. Falah en-Neda, the son of the tribal chief, had told The Anadolu Agency back then that the mausoleum had been set on fire by the Iraqi army and a militia.

Tribesmen said that Hussein’s remains was moved to a safe place in June, 2014, before both attacks took place.

Hussein had ruled Iraq from 1979 until 2003 and was executed in 2006 after he was convicted of committing human rights violations in a controversial trial.