 Kunyange zvazvo akasarudzwa semutungamiri wenyika, simba rakawanda raiva nemutungamiri wehurumende yeBaathist, Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr. Kutevera kudengenyeka kweBaathist muSyria muna March 1963, Arif akapinda munyika yake mukutaurirana kwekubatanidza neSyria neEgypt iyo yakanga yapatsanuka kubva kuUAR muna 1961. Mushure mokurwisana naNasser muna July, hurumende yeBaathist yeIraq yakabvisa nhengo dzose dzakanga dzisiri dzeBaathist muhurumende, pasinei nokutsigira kwaArif Nasser. Musi wa18 Mbudzi Arif, achitsigirwa nevakanga vasingagutsikane nezvemauto, akashandisa mukana wekuparadzana pakati peBaath - iyo yakaderedza bato - uye akadzinga nhengo dzaro muhurumende. Arif akaumba hurumende itsva, achichengeta vashomanana veBaathists, asi zvikurukuru vakaumbwa nevakuru vehondo yeNasserist uye technocrates. Akachengeta chigaro chake choutungamiriri ndokuzvisarudza amene kuva mukuru mukuru. Mwedzi mumwe gare gare akapa nzvimbo yekupedzisira kumunununa wake General Abdul Rahman Arif, uye hutungamiriri kumutendi wake Lieutenant-General Tahir Yahya. Mumatsutso a1964, Baath yakaedza kubvisa Arif pachigaro, asi yakakundikana apo rangano yavo yakafumurwa. Arif akaita kuti vapanduki vacho, kusanganisira Saddam Hussein, vasungwe. 