Saddam and his six codefendants were back in dock for their involvement in the anti-Kurdish Anfal campaign that killed tens of thousand of Kurds.

Witness Najib Khudair Ahmad, a 41-year-old mother who appeared on the witness booth in Tuesday's session, continued her testimony Wednesday. Her scarred face bore witness to a chemical weapon attack on her village of Sheikwasan, which also made her blind.

More witnesses are expected to testify against Saddam later.

The prosecutor said more than one thousand testimonies from victims had been recorded and "65 to 75 witnesses will testify".

The court officials said the proceedings of the Anfal trial would last about four months.

Saddam's co-accused include his cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, popularly known as "Chemical Ali" for allegedly ordering poison gas attacks against Kurds.

The defendants are all charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. Saddam and al-Majid also face the charge of genocide.

If convicted, Saddam might face death penalty.

During Tuesday's session, Ali Mostafa Hama, a survivor of the Anfal campaign, told the court that he saw eight to 12 planes dropped bombs on his village during the incident.

Wearing a traditional Kurdish headdress, he said greenish gas leaked from the bombs and people began vomiting and became blinded after inhaling the gas.

Hama was the first witness to testify against Saddam and his co-defendants in their trial over the Anfal campaign, which started on Monday.

It is the second trial Saddam is standing.

The former Iraqi leader and seven others have been on a separate trial for allegedly killing 148 Shiites in the village of Dujail following a failed assassination attempt against Saddam near the village in 1982.

A verdict for the Dujail case is expected in October.

Saddam will also face death penalty by hanging if found guilty.