The Iraqi High Criminal Court announced on Tuesday that Saddam and his aides will stand for a second trial over the al-Anfal crimes in the Kurdish northern area, which took place in late 1980s.

"The Second Criminal Court decided Aug. 21 as the date of trial on Monday, and it will inform all related to the trial in accordance with the law," the tribunal said in a statement.

The statement said that after investigative judges had transferred papers of the "al-Anfal crimes" to the prosecution panel which examined the case and then referred the documents to the Second Criminal Court.

The prosecution disclosed the evidences before the defendant attorney, the statement added.

In the aftermath of the Iranian-Iraqi war, Saddam ordered his army to sweep the Kurdish region in northern Iraq after he accused Kurdish leaders of collaborating with the Iranian army.

Saddam and seven co-defendants are currently on trial for allegedly executing 148 inhabitants of the Shiite village of Dujail following an assassination attempt there against Saddam in 1982.

They face execution by hanging if convicted in the Dujail case, which is set to resume on July 10.