The story: 17 years after his death, controversy has erupted in Iraq over the whereabouts of former president Saddam Hussein’s corpse. Hinting that the remains have been moved abroad, his daughter Raghad Saddam has vowed that they will one day “return to Iraq.” This comes only days after former prime minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi (2020-22) claimed that he had seen Hussein’s body dumped near his Baghdad home after the 2006 execution of the former president.

The coverage: Hussein was captured by US forces in Dec. 2003, nine months after the American-led invasion of Iraq. He was hanged in 2006 after a special tribunal found him guilty of committing crimes against humanity. Former prime minister Nouri Al-Maliki (2006-14) signed the death sentence.

Controversy over the whereabouts of Hussein’s remains was initially sparked by Kadhimi, who on Mar. 12 stated that the late president’s body was following his execution “thrown out.” The corpse is said to have been disposed of between...