A dike that Saddam Hussein 's government finished nine years ago had drained this marsh , once part of an incomparable ecosystem spread across 7,000 square miles of southern Iraq that Mr. Hussein systematically destroyed .
Saddam Hussein
Iraq
/people/deceased_person/place_of_death
Saddam Hussein
Iraq
/people/person/nationality
Saddam Hussein
Iraq
/people/person/place_of_birth
PERSON
Saddam Hussein
LOCATION
Iraq