He was born in Baghdad in 1944[1] and left Iraq in 1960 to study in the United Kingdom where he obtained a degree in electrical engineering from Durham University in 1965[2] and a postgraduate diploma in 1966.

He returned to Baghdad and was appointed member of the Iraq Governing Council in July 2003.

During his years of exile, based in London, and traveling in the Mid- and Far- East, He was a leading figure in the opposition to Saddam's regime and helped form a number of political groups.

In November 2007 he visited The Fletcher School at Tufts University where he gave a speech on the history and current situation in Iraq.

In March 2010 he visited the renowned Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University[5]