BAGHDAD - The Iraqi government imposed a ban on Monday on all organised visits to the grave of executed dictator Saddam Hussein after some schools near his stronghold of Tikrit arranged trips for their pupils.

'The cabinet secretariat has sent instructions to the education ministry and to Salaheddin province and its provincial council banning the organisation of visits to the tomb of the president of the former regime,' a statement said.

Saddam loyalists regularly hold commemorations by his graveside in his native village of Al-Awja, outside the northern town of Tikrit, on the anniversaries of his birth and execution.

Born on April 28, 1937, Saddam was hanged on December 30, 2006 after being convicted of crimes against humanity.

Buried alongside him are his two sons Uday and Qusay, who were killed in a US attack in the northern city of Mosul in July 2003.

Three regime officials who were sentenced to death with Saddam - Barzan Ibrahim al-Hassan al-Tikriti, Awad Ahmed al-Bandar and Taha Yassin Ramadan - also have their graves there.