On July 17, 1968, while Arif was sleeping, his own assistants along with members of the Ba'ath Party, Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, overthrew him in a bloodless coup.
Pada tanggal 16 Juli 1968, sedangkan Arif sedang tidur, asisten sendiri bersama dengan anggota Partai Ba'ath, Ahmad Hassan al-Bakr, menggulingkan dia dalam berdarah kudeta.