Re: Reason . . .
The only reason Saddam Hussein paid martyr families anything was to goad the West in general, and America and Israel (in that order) in particular.
The stollen Billion $s could be used to continue the martyr support -- but, lacking the steady cashflow from their Syrian oil buyers, I doubt it will be used as such. The Husseins need the billion just to survive the year. They like money -- lots of it -- and just need to know they can reach out and touch it.
Dan