His Code Name was Lieutenant Yusif. In preparation for the coup of 17 July Revolution 1968 Sabah was assigned to lead one of the groups that were deployed to patrol some streets of Baghdad. He served Saddam as his bodyguard for over 22 years. He received quick military promotions through the ranks due to his closeness to Saddam Hussein. During the Iran–Iraq War, Sabah attended night shifts at the headquarters of Central Command, where Saddam used to attend one hour a day to be briefed on the military operations.